Ex-ABC Anchor Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

Earlier this year, former ABC anchor Stephanie Hockridge was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Now, her sentence has been handed down. She will serve 10 years in prison, and pay the government over $63 million.

The 42-year-old TV anchor and her 46-year-old husband, Nathan Reis, were indicted in 2024 for defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program, a COVID-era government program that allowed business owners to stay afloat through the COVID lockdown period.

Hockridge formerly worked as an ABC15 anchor for several years.

Initially, both Hockridge and Reis pled not guilty, and were tried separately. Hockridge was found guilty in June, and Reis took a plea deal in August so that he would only be found guilty on one count of conspiracy instead of five different charges.

An earlier statement by the Department of Justice said the couple “submitted false and fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of themselves and their businesses, including by fabricating documents that they submitted in their loan applications in order to receive loan funds for which they were not eligible” with their company Blueacorn.

The latest statement by the DOJ says that the two were able to “fraudulently obtain over $63 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans,” and that Hockridge “was also ordered to pay over $63 million in restitution.”

During her trial, her lawyers pushed blame onto her husband and said that their misdoings were “a sincere effort to support small businesses during a time of unprecedented need.” Unfortunately for her, Hockridge had texted Reis, “This is us trying to apply for free money— when we don’t quite qualify. lol” while they were engaged in their fraudulent activities.