According to the DC U.S. Lawyer's office, former Congressman Kori Bush (D-Mo.) husband reportedly removed taxpayers from more than $20,000 to taxpayers from more than $20,000, and used the money for “personal benefits and enjoyment.”
Courtney Meritz, 46, was charged with two fraudulent applications allegedly filed with the Small Business Bureau in 2020 and 2021 in federal charges Thursday, and did not allow government funding from the Pandemic Ella Economic Injury and Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) and PayCheck Protection Program (PPP).
According to the indictment, Merritz received a $8,500 EIDL loan from the SBA for his moving business after proved in July 2020 that his company, Couriers, had six employees and generated gross revenue of $32,000 the previous year.
The day after receiving the EIDL loan, Merritts submitted another application to the SBA through the same program for another business. It was identified only as “Courtney Merritts,” employing 10 people and generating $53,000 in revenue.
The former craftsman husband also requested advancements in EIDL up to $10,000 based on the number of “Courtney Merritt” employed.
The SBA rejected the Merritts application after determining that the document was “almost identical” to the previous ones submitted.
The DC US lawyers' office, led by Ed Martin, alleges Merritt lied about the number of employees he had and the income from rejected applications.
Almost a year later, in April 2021, Merritz once again sought taxpayer money in the form of a PPP loan from Cortney Merritts.
This time he claimed that the business was created in 2020 and generated a total revenue of $128,000 that year.
However, these claims were fraudulent, according to the indictment.
However, the St. Louis man's application was not rejected and received a $20,832 PPP loan.
“Merritz used the proceeds for his personal profits and enjoyment,” federal prosecutors say.
The indictment did not include details of what he blows accurately through cash.
“Based on Merritts' allegedly misrepresented, the SBA has allowed the PPP loan at $20,832 and interest of $254.03,” the DC U.S. Lawyer's Office added.
Meritz's attorney told the Washington Post that his client intends to sue him not guilty.
“I look forward to litigating this case in court,” Justin Gelfund I told the outlet.
Bush, a former left “squad” MP who lost his Missouri District 1 seat in the 2024 election, has not been accused of fraudulent conduct in the charges.
In 2023, Bush was slapped with a complaint of the Federal Election Commission and Congressional Ethics, and her campaign paid Meritz to provide security despite not having the required license.
The “police” movement is said to have “used campaign funds for personal use” when Bush paid $60,000 in 2022 for the services of Meritz, whom he married in February 2023, according to a nonpartisan foundation for accountability and civil trust.
At the same time, the Bush Campaign was paying Meritz for security, and spending more than $225,000 on a St. Louis-based farm, $50,000, called Peace Security, and $50,000 on another security guard named Nathaniel Davis, Federal Election Commission records show.
The Justice Department reportedly investigated Bush last year about the use of funds aimed at private safety by Congressional members and candidates.
The status of the investigation is unknown and the former supervisor has not been charged.
