A former Arizona news anchor and her husband are facing the possibility of 100 years in prison if convicted of involvement in a scheme to fraudulently obtain government funds.
Stephanie Hockridge-Reis, who served as a newscaster for seven years at ABC affiliate Channel 15 (KNXV-TV), left the industry in 2018. During her final broadcast, she hinted at exciting plans ahead, saying there would be “lots of fun things happening in the future.”
In 2020, Stephanie Hockridge-Reis and her husband, Nathan Reis, co-founded Blueacorn, a lender service provider aimed at helping small businesses and individuals secure COVID-19 relief funds, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
On Friday, the DOJ announced that Hockridge-Reis and Reis have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison for each count.
The U.S. Small Business Administration guaranteed aid to keep businesses afloat during the pandemic through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.