From Fox News: A former TV anchor-turned entrepreneur convicted of stealing millions of dollars in a COVID-era fraud scheme will spend the next decade behind bars at the same Texas prison camp as infamous sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
Earlier this year, a federal grand jury found Stephanie Hockridge, 42, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. On Friday, Hockridge was sentenced to 10 years in lockup at a Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, the New York Post reported. She was also ordered to pay over $63 million in restitution.
Hockridge was convicted “in a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $63 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act,” according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
For seven years, Hockridge was a well-respected TV news anchor for KNXV in Phoenix. But behind all the camera lights, Hockridge and her husband, Nathan Reis, 46, were running a Covid pandemic cash-grab scheme.
A press release by the Department of Justice explains:
According to evidence presented at trial, Stephanie Hockridge, also known as Stephanie Reis, 42, of Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, and previously of Arizona, co-founded Blueacorn in April 2020, purportedly to assist small businesses and individuals in obtaining PPP loans. To get larger loans for certain PPP applicants, Hockridge and her co-conspirators fabricated documents, including payroll records, tax documentation and bank statements. Hockridge and her co-conspirators charged borrowers kickbacks based on a percentage of the funds received.
As part of the scheme, Hockridge and others offered a personalized service to their clients called “VIPPP” to help potential borrowers complete PPP loan applications. Hockridge recruited co-conspirators to work as VIPPP referral agents and coach borrowers on how to submit false PPP loan applications. To get more kickbacks from borrowers and a higher percentage of lender fees from the SBA, Hockridge and her co-conspirators submitted PPP loan applications that they knew contained materially false information. In total, Hockridge and her coconspirators processed over $63 million in fraudulent PPP loans.
On June 20, a jury found Hockridge guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Hockridge is scheduled to report to Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas on December 30.
The New York Post reported that Reis took a plea deal in August and will be sentenced in December.
The New York Post also wrote of Hockridge: “She was nominated for an Emmy and named “Favorite Newscaster” by Arizona Foothills Magazine. Her conviction marks one of the highest-profile PPP fraud cases to date involving a public figure.”
Ex-Phoenix TV anchor Stephanie Hockridge sentenced for fraud https://t.co/iJ3otMO10t
— azcentral (@azcentral) November 22, 2025
Ex-news anchor sentenced to 10 years in prison for federal fraud conspiracy charge
Stephanie Hockridge was a co-founder of blueacorn, a paycheck protection program loan processing company during the pandemic. https://t.co/fut1IUd0J3— Melissa Blasius (@MelissaBlasius) November 21, 2025
READ MORE from Fox News.
There should be lots to report on!
Former TV anchor heads to same prison as Ghislaine Maxwell after $63M COVID fraud conviction https://t.co/NA2LbVao8M #FoxNews
— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) November 23, 2025
Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter.)
The DML News App: www.X.com/DMLNewsApp
The Dennis Michael Lynch Podcast archive is available below, with the most recent on top. Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show by downloading The DML News App or go to Apple Podcasts.
