What happens when someone is arrested in Arizona
The legal process for those who have been arrested can be confusing. Here’s how the legal system works in these cases.
The Republic
- Charges against Hockridge and her husband, Nathan Reis, were announced in November 2024 and ended with Hockridge’s conviction and a plea deal for Reis.
- A federal judge in Fort Worth, Texas, sentenced Hockridge to a decade behind bars Nov. 21 for one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
- Her attorneys described her as someone attempting to “support small businesses during a time of unprecedented need,” according to court filings.
Stephanie Hockridge, a former prominent Phoenix TV news anchor, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after she was convicted in a COVID-19 relief-fund fraud scheme.
Charges against Hockridge and her husband, Nathan Reis, were announced in November 2024 and ended with Hockridge’s conviction and a plea deal for Reis.
A federal judge in Fort Worth, Texas, sentenced Hockridge to a decade behind bars Nov. 21 for one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, imposed nearly $64 million in restitution and permitted her to self-surrender by Dec. 30, according to court filings.
The two were originally indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. According to the indictment, the scheme centered on their company, BlueAcorn, which they founded in April 2020.
Prosecutors say the couple applied for COVID-19 relief funds through the Paycheck Protection Program, coached other companies to do the same and received hundreds of thousands of dollars to which they were not entitled.
One text message from Hockridge to Reis, quoted in court records, read: “This is us trying to apply for free money — when we don’t quite qualify. lol.”
The company received kickbacks from the businesses they helped submit fraudulent PPP loan applications for, based on the amount of funding disbursed.
According to a congressional report by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, BlueAcorn focused on large loan applications because they generated higher fees.
“I mean … I don’t believe in prioritizing the biggest loans over the smallest … but there should be some understanding that as we get started … closing these monster loans will get everyone paid,” Hockridge said in a Slack message obtained by the committee.
A federal jury found Hockridge, who was a news anchor with Phoenix’s ABC15 from 2011 to 2018, guilty in June 2025.
Her attorneys described her as someone attempting to “support small businesses during a time of unprecedented need,” according to court filings.
They argued she was misled by others.
Reis did not go to trial. He pleaded guilty in August to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. He is scheduled for sentencing in December.
