PHOENIX – Former ABC 15 Phoenix anchor Stephanie Hockridge and her husband Nathan Reis are accused of submitting false and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

The couple took out loans for themselves, then showed others how easy it was to get taxpayer money in a project worth hundreds of millions of dollars, set up in the context of global aid linked to the pandemic.

“Criminals and criminal organizations have profited from the suffering of Americans during this crisis and committed substantial fraud against these critical pandemic relief programs,” Rep. Jim Clyburn said during the 2022 coronavirus committee hearings .

Among the suspected criminals were Hockridge and her husband.

At a federal hearing, numbers reaching into the billions are discussed.

“I think 57,000 PPP applications were for applicants who were on the Do Not Pay list, which is several billion dollars,” Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz said at the height of the pandemic.

Hockridge and Reis are accused of attempting to directly charge certain applicants a 10 percent fee for obtaining a loan, a violation of Small Business Administration rules.

A review of the loans showed what the couple was willing to do for the money, including Reis claiming in an application that he was African American and a veteran.

Other evidence shows Hockridge describing the PPP as “$100 billion of free money.”

And although PPP loans were set up for small businesses, Hockridge told his staff, “It doesn’t matter. » “We are not the first bank to turn away borrowers who deserve to be financed… They can go elsewhere.”

Reis and Hockridge also sought direct payments from PPP borrowers, ultimately defrauding them out of substantial amounts of their loans.

The entire process, presented in a 90 second videonow at the center of an alleged federal deception.

The duo took the stolen millions to establish themselves in a lavish lifestyle in Puerto Rico, where her husband was arrested by federal authorities.

Both Hockridge and Reis are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud.

Hockridge was summoned to appear in court in Dallas, Texas on November 25.

They face up to 20 years in prison on each count if convicted.