Cortney Merritts, the husband of former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), has been indicted on federal charges of defrauding the government by allegedly obtaining $20,000 in pandemic relief funds under false pretenses. The Justice Department announced the indictment on Thursday, accusing Merritts of wire fraud related to fraudulent Small Business Administration (SBA) loan applications in 2020 and 2021.
Federal prosecutors claim Merritts, 46, of St. Louis, submitted misleading information about his supposed businesses to secure loans intended for struggling entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 pandemic. He now faces two counts of wire fraud, which could result in serious legal consequences if convicted.
“Mr. Merritts intends to plead not guilty to the charges,” his attorney, 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.”
Prosecutors allege that Merritts repeatedly misrepresented his business revenue and employee count in an effort to qualify for pandemic relief funds. One of his loan applications, submitted in July 2020, was reportedly denied because it closely resembled an earlier rejected application. Authorities believe these inconsistencies were part of a broader effort to manipulate the loan system for personal gain.
Merritts’ indictment follows a separate federal investigation into his wife, Cori Bush, over controversial payments made to her husband through her congressional campaign. Bush, a former member of the progressive “Squad,” faced scrutiny for directing $60,000 in campaign funds to Merritts for private security services in 2022—despite the fact that he did not hold the required security license in St. Louis. At the same time, her campaign spent over $225,000 with PEACE Security and $50,000 with an individual named Nathaniel Davis for additional personal protection services.
A government watchdog group, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), raised concerns about these payments, urging the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) to investigate whether Bush improperly used campaign funds for personal expenses. FACT’s complaint to the FEC stated:
“It appears Rep. Bush’s campaign may have made payments for services that were unnecessary or above fair market value because of her personal relationship with the payee.”
The watchdog group further argued that if Bush directed payments to her husband without legitimate campaign-related services being performed, she may have violated campaign finance laws by converting campaign funds for personal use.
Bush, who lost her primary election last year after facing backlash over her vocal criticism of Israel’s response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks, has not yet commented on the indictment against her husband.
The controversy surrounding Bush and Merritts is not an isolated case. Other Democratic lawmakers have also faced scrutiny for funneling campaign money to family members. For example, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has reportedly paid her daughter, Karen Waters, more than $1.2 million from campaign funds since 2004. A Fox News Digital review of Federal Election Commission filings revealed that Karen Waters received $192,300 between January 2021 and December 2022 alone for running a highly unusual “slate mailer” operation that endorses political candidates in exchange for payment.
“The practice is highly unusual on the federal level, and Waters appears to be the only national politician using it to grab committee cash,” Fox News reported.
As investigations into political campaign finances continue, the indictment of Cortney Merritts raises broader concerns about potential abuse of pandemic relief funds and campaign finance laws among elected officials and their families. With legal proceedings underway, this case could have lasting implications for campaign ethics and federal oversight.