A former prominent Arizona television news anchor has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and mandated to pay close to $64 million in restitution after being found guilty of orchestrating a major loan-fraud scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case revolves around the mis-use of the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), misrepresentations of business payrolls and tax records, and alleged kick-back arrangements that exploited taxpayer-funded relief efforts.
“VIPPP” Service and the Loan-Processing Firm
The anchor, alongside her husband, co-founded a lending-services company in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. They marketed a specialised service branded as “VIPPP,” pitched as a way to help small-business owners secure PPP loans. However, prosecutors say the firm submitted applications containing falsified payroll documents, and tax and bank records — enabling borrowers to receive artificially inflated loans.
The couple’s firm reportedly processed in excess of $63 million in fraudulent PPP loans.
In court, the anchor was convicted in June 2025 of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and acquitted of four other wire-fraud counts.
Sentence, Restitution and Prison Assignment
On November 21, a federal judge in Texas sentenced the former anchor to 120 months in prison. She must report to the federal facility by December 30 and will serve her time at the federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas — a minimum-security facility.
In addition to the prison term, she faces nearly $64 million in restitution and will serve two years of supervised release afterward.
