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Legal panel discusses next steps in Epstein case
On ‘Fox News Sunday,’ Shannon Bream leads a legal discussion focused on several hot-button topics: a Democratic video urging defiance of unlawful commands, the impending release of Jeffrey Epstein’s files, questions surrounding the National Guard’s deployment in Democratic-led cities, and the Supreme Court battle over Texas’ redistricting plans.
A former television anchor turned businesswoman, convicted of embezzling millions during a COVID-era fraud, faces a decade in the same Texas prison camp that houses notorious sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
Earlier this year, a federal jury convicted 42-year-old Stephanie Hockridge of conspiring to commit wire fraud. According to a report by the New York Post, she received a 10-year sentence in a Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, on Friday and must also pay over $63 million in restitution.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that Hockridge was part of a scheme to unlawfully secure more than $63 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, which were backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) under the CARES Act.
Hockridge co-founded Blueacorn, a lending service provider, in April 2020 with the intention of assisting small businesses and individuals in obtaining PPP loans amid the COVID-19 crisis, according to the DOJ. Prior to this venture, she was a news anchor at KNXV in Phoenix, as noted by the Post.
A screenshot shows Stephanie Hockridge instructing Blueacorn staff to delete non-VIPPP loan applications, as she prioritized VIPPP clients over regular PPP borrowers, according to Slack messages obtained by the Select Subcommittee. (Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis)
Screenshots of internal messages within Blueacorn show Hockdridge instructing staff to prioritize what were known as “VIPPP” clients over regular PPP borrowers.
“To get larger loans for certain PPP applicants, Hockridge and her co-conspirators fabricated documents, including payroll records, tax documentation and bank statements,” the DOJ wrote in a press release. “Hockridge and her co-conspirators charged borrowers kickbacks based on a percentage of the funds received.”
Ghislaine Maxwell is seen walking through the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, on Sept. 20, 2025. (Matthew Symons/Mirrorpix/Mega)
Hockridge, however, claimed Blueacorn was a “sincere effort to support small businesses” during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Post.
The PPP was implemented to provide small businesses with funds to keep their workers on payroll, hire back employees who may have been laid off and cover applicable expenses like rent, utilities and mortgage interest during the pandemic.
The Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, is seen on Aug. 4, 2025. Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred here from FCI Tallahassee. Elizabeth Holmes and Jennifer Shah are also serving time inside. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Maxwell is serving her 20-year sentence at the same prison camp in Bryan for her role in a scheme to sexually exploit and abuse multiple minor girls with Jeffrey Epstein over the course of a decade.
Theranos fraudster Elizabeth Holmes and former “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jennifer Shah are also serving time at the same facility.
Neither Hockridge’s attorney nor the Federal Bureau of Prisons immediately returned Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.