Former news anchor charged with fraud in massive scheme to help small business obtain COVID relief funds

A erstwhile Arizona newscaster and her hubby are facing the anticipation beingness successful prison, if convicted of engagement successful a ungraded aimed astatine fraudulently obtaining authorities COVID funds.

Stephanie Hockridge-Reis, 41, and her husband, Nathan Reis, 45, were charged with 1 number of conspiracy to perpetrate ligament fraud and 4 counts of ligament fraud, the Department of Justice announced Friday.

If convicted, the brace could look up to 20 years successful situation for each count. 

The joined mates allegedly submitted mendacious and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program indebtedness applications connected behalf of themselves and their business, Blueacorn.

Hockridge-Reis and Reis, co-founded the company, successful April 2020, aft Hockridge-Reis near her station astatine ABC affiliate, Channel 15 KNXV-TV - a occupation she held for 7 years.

The couple's institution was founded with purpose to assistance tiny businesses and individuals successful obtaining PPP loans.

The indictment, unsealed connected Friday, alleged the brace fabricated documents that they submitted successful their indebtedness applications successful bid to person indebtedness funds for which they were not eligible, according to court documents.

Additional investigations into the mates revealed they had reportedly charged their clients with amerciable fees for their services based connected a percent of the funds received, the DOJ said. 

Hockridge-Reis and Reis person besides been accused of attempting to straight complaint immoderate applicants a 10 percent interest for successfully getting a loan, a usurpation of the Small Business Administration rules.

A reappraisal of the loans showed what the mates were consenting to bash for the wealth - including Reis claiming successful an exertion helium was African American and a veteran.

Other grounds revealed Hockridge-Reis picture the PPP arsenic '$100 cardinal dollars of escaped money.'

Yet, though the PPP loans were acceptable up for tiny businesses, Hockridge-Reis allegedly told her unit 'Who the f*** cares. We're not the archetypal slope to diminution borrowers who merit to beryllium funded... They tin spell elsewhere.'

The US Small Business Administration guaranteed assistance to support businesses afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic done the Paycheck Protection Program nether the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. 

The DOJ besides alleges that mates recruited radical to enactment arsenic referral agents who reportedly coached borrowers connected however to taxable mendacious PPP indebtedness applications.

As portion of the alleged scheme, the duo collected and reviewed the applications from imaginable borrowers connected behalf of the lenders. 

The brace past worked with the lenders to taxable applications to the US Small Business Administration successful speech for a percent of the fees paid to the lenders, the DOJ said. 

Hockridge-Reis was summoned to look successful a Dallas, Texas tribunal connected November 25. 

A lawyer for the mates could not beryllium contacted for comment.