The husband of former Missouri Rep. Cori Bush has been charged with defrauding the U.S. government in a COVID relief scam involving false business claims. Cortney Merritts, 46, was indicted in D.C. federal court last week on two counts of wire fraud.
According to prosecutors, Merritts claimed his company, Vetted Courier and Logistics, employed six workers and earned $32,000 in revenue. The application, filed in April 2020, led to a payment through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. The very next day, he filed a second request for funds, this time using a different business name but submitting nearly identical details. That request was denied.
🚨 #BREAKING: The husband of ousted Rep. Cori Bush, a member of AOC’s squad, was just charged by DOJ with WIRE FRAUD for fraudulently taking $20K in COVID relief
THANK YOU DOGE and DOJ for going after these crooks!
Bush ALSO paid her husband $5K PER MONTH in regulated funds for… pic.twitter.com/UNdkLo7CCh
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 20, 2025
Authorities say Merritts wasn’t done. He also submitted a Paycheck Protection Program application, claiming another business he operated made $128,000 in its first year. That, too, was flagged for inaccuracies.
The Department of Justice says the money Merritts obtained was used for personal purposes. The FBI and SBA Office of Inspector General are investigating the case.
JUST IN: Former Rep. Cori Bush’s husband indicted for wire fraud, accused of submitting false applications to receive COVID relief funds.
Shocker!
The development comes following a separate investigation where Bush is accused of paying her husband $150,000 to serve as her… pic.twitter.com/LUnux6LVtI
— Real Life Footage (@RealLifeFootage) March 21, 2025
Merritts’ legal ESI team has said he will plead not guilty. His attorney, Justin Gelfand, criticized the government’s position and said they plan to challenge the charges in court.
Though Bush has not been implicated in the fraud charges, she previously faced investigations after hiring Merritts as a security contractor while in Congress. The payments, totaling over $120,000, raised questions because Merritts had no security license in the areas where he worked for her. The House Ethics Committee dropped its review, but inquiries from other agencies may still be open.
Bush’s congressional career ended in 2024 after a primary loss fueled by her vocal criticism of Israel. Groups including the United Democracy Project and Democratic Majority for Israel poured over $9 million into the race to defeat her.
The charges against Merritts are part of a larger effort to prosecute individuals who misused COVID relief programs years after the funds were first distributed.
