Former US News Anchor Sentenced for Major Covid Loan Fraud

Former Arizona news anchor Stephanie Hockridge has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison after prosecutors proved she helped run a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) operation worth more than $63 million. Investigators said her company, Blueacorn, submitted PPP applications using fabricated payroll records and false tax documents while charging kickbacks to borrowers during the pandemic.

Hockridge was also ordered to repay nearly $64 million in restitution and will report to a minimum-security federal prison in Texas. The US Justice Department said the case highlights the scale of Covid-era fraud and the ease with which criminal schemes exploited gaps in emergency relief systems.