Husband of Former 'Squad' Rep. Cori Bush Charged with Wire Fraud Linked to COVID Relief Funds

The husband of former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, a Missouri Democrat, has been charged with defrauding the government by allegedly accepting $20,000 in payments from pandemic-era federal relief programs, according to the Department of Justice. This includes funds from the Paycheck Protection and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs.

Cortney Merritts, 46, a resident of St. Louis, is accused of falsifying information about his supposed businesses to secure loans from the Small Business Administration during 2020 and 2021. Federal prosecutors have charged him with two counts of wire fraud.

"Mr. Merritts intends to plead not guilty to the charges," said his lawyer, Justin Gelfand, 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."

Authorities allege that Merritts submitted multiple applications for business loans, misrepresenting both his revenue and the number of employees he had. In one instance, a loan application from July 2020 was rejected as it was nearly identical to a previous submission.

This indictment comes a year after the Justice Department launched an investigation into Cori Bush, a former member of the progressive Congressional group known as the "Squad," over alleged campaign payments made to her husband. Merritts himself had reportedly received $120,000 in payments from Bush's campaign for private security services, which had already drawn public scrutiny.

Bush, who represented Missouri's 1st Congressional District, faced defeat in a primary election last year. Her loss followed controversies surrounding her criticism of Israel’s response to the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas terrorists.

The "Squad," once a prominent group in progressive politics, also includes notable lawmakers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).