Former Phoenix Anchor Stephanie Hockridge Convicted of Wire Fraud Conspiracy
Stephanie Hockridge, a former Phoenix news anchor-turned-fintech entrepreneur , has been convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a federal case involving hundreds of millions of dollars in COVID relief funds. A jury in the Northern District of Texas found Hockridge guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She was acquitted on four additional counts of wire fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 10. Hockridge’s conviction was announced on Friday. Stephanie Hockridge is a former television news anchor who worked in Phoenix. Facebook / Stephanie Hockridge Hockridge was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Facebook / Stephanie Hockridge According to federal prosecutors and investigative reports, Hockridge and her husband, Nathan Reis, fraudulently obtained over $300,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for themselves, including one application that falsely claimed he was a veteran and an African American. How a street peddler fooled some of Manhattan’s biggest art collectors — and killed off the city’s oldest art gallery The couple’s Scottsdale-based fintech firm, Blueacorn, which they co-founded in 2020, processed over $12.5 billion in PPP loans — with somewhere between $250 million and $300 million going to the company’s ownership, including Hockridge. Blueacorn
"The couple’s Scottsdale-based fintech firm, Blueacorn, which they co-founded in 2020, processed over $12.5 billion in PPP loans — with somewhere between $250 million and $300 million going to the company’s ownership, including Hockridge."
"According to a congressional report, Blueacorn routinely failed to properly vet applicants and charged illegal “success fees” to borrowers — violating Small Business Administration rules."
"Internal messages showed reviewers were told to “push through” questionable applications, ignore red flags, and skip identity checks unless fraud was “extremely obvious.”"
