A federal judge will give former Phoenix news anchor Stephanie Hockridge an extra month before she must report to prison in the Blueacorn paycheck protection program loan fraud case.

Without naming individuals, the report listed more than 100 state employees who received more than $2.8 million in PPP loans.

Small Business Administration (SBA) head Kelly Loeffler said Monday that her department is halting annual grants to Minnesota, amid an investigation into alleged fraud in COVID-era lending

The sentence comes after Mehlbaurer pleaded guilty on Sept. 24, 2025, to wire fraud and money laundering. Lopez was sentenced to time served. According to court documents, Mehlbauer and Lopez allegedly ran a Paycheck Protection Program loan fraud ring from July 2020 to Jan. 2022.

Lonnie Smith-Matthews pleaded guilty to financial frauds including PPP loan deception and stealing a U.S. Treasury tax refund, facing a potential prison sentence and significant fines.

The Department of Justice announced Thursday that 57 people have been arrested across the country for fraud related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). In a press conference Thursday, officials with the Department of Justice said that the suspects ...