The U.S. Attorney’s Office has indicted the husband of former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., for allegedly defrauding the federal government of $20,000 through a pandemic-era aid program.

Cortney Merritts, 46, allegedly filed fraudulent applications with the Small Business Administration in 2020 and 2021.

The applications allowed him to collect $20,000 in government aid, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Thursday.

Authorities said Merritts falsely claimed to operate a business with 10 employees that generated $53,000 in revenue from 2019 to 2020.

He allegedly used this information to request $10,000 in aid.

The Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, however, rejected that request after finding it mirrored another prior aid appeal sent by Merritts, authorities said.

Merritts later allegedly applied for a Paycheck Protection Program that falsely claimed he had launched a business in 2020 which generated $128,000 in revenue, authorities said.

He received a $20,832 loan from that claim, which he used “for his personal benefit and enjoyment.”

After receiving that loan, Merritts applied for loan forgiveness, claiming to have spent the money on payroll for his 10 employees, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

The Small Business Administration forgave that loan and $254.03 in interest.

He faces two counts of wire fraud and is under investigation by the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General and the FBI.

Bush was considered a member of “The Squad,” a group of progressive Democrats in the House. She lost her bid for re-election in a 2024 primary.

House lawmakers this month voted to pass a measure that would help the federal government recover billions of dollars lost to fraud during the pandemic.

Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., who supported the bill, said the measure brings accountability to those the federal government.

“Billions of taxpayer dollars were stolen — funneled into fraudulent claims while hardworking families struggled,” he said. “This bill ensures justice does not expire with the calendar. The thieves who exploited these programs must face the full weight of the law, and we must recover what was stolen.”

The House Oversight Committee in September estimated taxpayers lost more than $100 million to fraud during the pandemic.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office also calculated between 11% and 15% of all benefits paid during the pandemic were fraudulent.

Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news. Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com.