ABC15, "Judge extends voluntary surrender date for former news anchor in federal PPP fraud case"

Summary

ABC15 article by Melissa Blasius reporting that Judge Reed O'Connor moved former Phoenix news anchor Stephanie Hockridge's voluntary surrender date to January 30, 2026 in the Blueacorn Paycheck Protection Program fraud case. Hockridge, an ABC15 anchor from 2011 to 2018, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in June 2025 and sentenced to 10 years in prison in late November, and was first ordered to surrender on December 30. Her lawyer asked that she stay out of prison pending appeal and that her sentence be staggered with that of her husband, Nathan Reis, who pleaded guilty and whose surrender date moved from January 20, 2026 to February 2. The article reports $64 million in restitution, to be forwarded to the Small Business Administration, owed jointly by Hockridge and other defendants.

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Judge extends voluntary surrender date for former news anchor in federal PPP fraud case

Stephanie Hockridge, a co-founder of Blueacorn, a paycheck protection program loan processing company during the pandemic, was sentenced to 10 years in prison

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Former Phoenix news anchor Stephanie Hockridge was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for a federal conspiracy charge related to fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications filed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By:
Melissa Blasius

Posted

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.

Hockridge, who worked as an ABC15 news anchor from 2011 to 2018, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in June 2025. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison in late November.

Hockridge was released from custody with an ankle monitor after her sentencing and was initially ordered to surrender to prison on December 30.

In court filings, Hockridge’s attorney asked for her to remain out of prison pending the appeal of her conviction. The attorneys have also asked for Hockridge to have a staggered sentence from her husband, Nathan Reis, who pleaded guilty in the case.

The court originally ordered Reis to surrender for his 10-year prison sentence on January 20, 2026. However, ABC15 learned Reis was granted an extension and his voluntary surrender date is now February 2.

On Friday, Judge Reed O'Connor agreed to push Hockridge's voluntary surrender date to January 30, 2026, which will allow the court time to consider Hockridge's requests.

Hockridge and Reis have a one-year-old son, and federal judges sometimes make accommodations of staggered sentences for married defendants with young children.

Blueacorn was a paycheck protection program loan processing company that started in 2020 during the pandemic. Hockridge and Reis were co-founders.

The judge previously ordered $64 million in restitution in the case, which will be forwarded to the Small Business Administration, which ran the PPP loan program. Hockridge and other defendants will be jointly responsible for paying.

WATCH: Blueacorn founder Nate Reis makes plea deal in PPP loan fraud case

During Hockridge's trial, prosecutors said the couple and their co-conspirators submitted fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program applications to obtain forgivable COVID-19 relief loans for businesses and individuals.

The trial took an unexpected emotional turn as the former ABC15 newscaster sobbed and briefly left the courtroom after an FBI agent recounted the arrest of her husband.

WATCH: Former news anchor Stephanie Hockridge released with GPS monitor

Earlier this year, Reis accepted a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. In June, Hockridge was convicted on the same charge by a jury in Fort Worth, TX.

Prosecutors argued that Reis, Hockridge, and Blueacorn co-conspirators altered financial documents to illegally obtain federal PPP loans for themselves and others who were not qualified to receive them.

Reis was sentenced earlier this month to 10 years in prison.

Kamilah Williams

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