Ellen Corkrum is a

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

n/ Ghanaian philanthropist politician and presidential candidate, and convicted criminal, who previously served as an officer in the United States military and as a commercial pilot. She served as the managing director of the Liberia Airports Authority, and was forced to flee the country after exposing alleged corruption in the government. She has announced her candidacy for

President of Liberia The president of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and government of Liberia. The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Prior to the independence of Liber ...

in the 2017 election.

Biography

Born in Liberia, Corkrum moved to Minnesota at age 13. Corkrum served as a U.S. military Black Hawk assault helicopter pilot, a major in the United States Armed Forces reserves, and a commercial airline pilot. She is a graduate of

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, with a master's degree in public administration. Corkrum also holds an MBA from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

. Corkrum returned Liberia to work as the managing director of the Liberia Airports Authority. After reporting the corruption she witnessed, her life was threatened and a campaign of public intimidation was launched. She escaped from Liberia, by road, through

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

, then Europe before making it back to the U.S. The current Liberian National Police Director,

Chris Massaquoi Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, and Christine. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), Nigerian author ...

, defied the President's orders and helped Corkrum escape, stating that he was part of a top-level meeting where her capture was revealed. Liberia's Minister of Defense, Brownie Samukai is also heard on tape, revealing to Corkrum that top government officials had set her up to cover their fraudulent practices. Corkrum secretly recorded these and other officials, including the executive office. Corkrum presented this evidence, including a 300-page binder of documentation to the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Justice Department.

Name Change to Hunter VanPelt

In July 2016 'Ellen Corkrum' legally changed her name to 'Hunter VanPelt'. She has also been known to use the names 'Ellen Yabba Kwame Corkrum' and 'Hunter Lauren VanPelt'.

Pleads guilty to fraud in USA

On 18 August 2021- VanPelt (''aka Corkrum'')https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/roswell-businesswoman-pleads-guilty-bank-fraud-connection-paycheck-protection-program plead guilty to committing a more than US$6 million fraud in USA, specifically involving defrauding of the USA's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The case has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General. The Assistant U.S. Attorney, Christopher J. Huber (''Deputy Chief of the Complex Frauds Section''), and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Chris A. Wenger prosecuted the case. According to Acting U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charge and other information presented in court: VanPelt (''aka Corkrum''), using both her names, submitted six false and fraudulent PPP loans between 27 April 2020 and 17 June 2020. The amounts requested in the six loans totalled $7,943,591.50, of which $6,017,066.50 was disbursed.

Sentencing

Sentencing for VanPelt (''aka Corkrum'') was scheduled for 4 January 2022, at 10:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corkrum, Ellen Liberian politicians convicted of crimes Harvard Kennedy School alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Place of birth missing (living people) MIT Sloan School of Management alumni Commercial aviators