The husband of former Missouri Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush is accused of defrauding two federal programs designed to provide relief to businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., which is headed by former Missouri Republican Chairman Ed Martin, made the indictment against Cortney Merritts public on Thursday.
Merritts is accused of lying on applications for paycheck protection and economic injury disaster loans. All told, he received about $21,000 from the programs, which he allegedly spent for personal benefit rather than on the businesses.
An attorney representing Merritts said he intends to plead not guilty.
"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.," the attorney, Justin Gelfand, said.
The Department of Justice had been investigating Bush’s reelection campaign’s spending on security, which Merritts headed. The charges against her husband are not connected to that investigation, the status of which is not clear. Bush lost to Wesley Bell in the August 2024 primary.
In April 2024, the Department of Justice announced it had charged more than 3,500 people with pandemic relief fraud. Earlier this week, prosecutors in the Eastern District of Missouri announced charges against a St. Louis woman accused of claiming more than $177,000 in fraudulent tax credits.
This story has been updated with comments from an attorney for Merritts.
