Ex- Phoenix news anchor to spend less time with family now

Former Phoenix news anchor Stephanie Hockridge was convicted this past week of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in one of the largest Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fraud cases in the U.S.
Federal prosecutors proved that she and her husband, Nathan Reis, co-founded a company called Blueacorn that deliberately submitted thousands of fraudulent PPP loan applications using fake payroll records, forged tax documents, and fabricated bank statements. The scheme stole more than $63 million in taxpayer-funded COVID relief intended for struggling small businesses.

On November 21, a Texas federal judge sentenced the 42-year-old Hockridge to 10 years in prison and ordered her to pay nearly $64 million in restitution. She is scheduled to surrender to Federal Prison Camp Bryan, Texas, by December 30, 2025.

Hockridge spent over a decade as a respected broadcast journalist. She worked as a reporter and anchor in Missouri, Virginia, and briefly for CBS News Radio in London, then joined ABC15 (KNXV-TV) in Phoenix in 2011. Over seven years she co-anchored the station’s 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. newscasts, earned an Emmy nomination, and was known for community-focused investigative stories until she left the station in 2018 to pursue business ventures.