WASHINGTON – A federal jury could not reach a unanimous verdict after a nine-day trial involving Cortney Merritts, the husband of former Missouri U.S. Congresswoman Cori Bush in a pandemic fraud case.
Federal prosecutors charged Merritts with two felony counts of mail fraud last year, following allegations that he fraudulently collected more than $25,000 in federal COVID relief funds for a moving business called Vetted Couriers.
A federal indictment alleges that Merritts submitted false and fraudulent applications for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan in July 2020 and a Paycheck Protection Program loan in April 2021. Prosecutors also alleged that Merritts used the federal funds for “his personal benefit and enjoyment.”…