The husband of former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, a Democrat from Missouri, has been charged with defrauding the federal government after allegedly receiving $20,000 in pandemic relief funds, according to the Justice Department.
Federal prosecutors said Thursday that 46-year-old Cortney Merritts of St. Louis submitted false information about his supposed businesses to secure loans from the Small Business Administration in 2020 and 2021.
He now faces two counts of wire fraud, Fox News reported.
“Mr. Merritts intends to plead not guilty to the charges,” Merritts’ lawyer, Justin Gelfand of Margulis Gelfand DiRuzzo & Lambson, said in a statement. “As with any indictment, this is only the government’s version of the story. We look forward to litigating this case in federal court in Washington, D.C.”
