For a candidate running as a champion of working people, Bob Brooks has accumulated an unusually long list of failing to do just that.

The Democrat seeking to unseat Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in Pennsylvania’s 7th District this November has already been weighed down by controversy: a long-running dispute with his former mother-in-law over money he borrowed and allegedly failed to repay; questions about workers’ compensation coverage at his former lawn-care business; and accusations that he raised dues while improperly benefiting from firefighters’ union funds. But the latest controversy may be the worst one yet.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, Brooks obtained $15,000 in taxpayer-funded COVID relief for his lawn-care business after answering “no” to application questions about outstanding judgments and loan defaults, despite court records showing active judgments related to unpaid credit-card debt. 

Brooks at the time was litigating his outstanding debt with his mother-in-law, and had two active 2012 judgments tied to unpaid debts: approximately $7,872 owed to FIA Card Services/Bank of America and $5,480 owed to Midland Funding. One was settled in 2024; the other remained open.

Knowingly lying on the application could carry criminal penalties. 

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Brooks’ attorney disputes the allegation, particularly as it relates to the roughly $130,000 dispute with Brooks’ former in-laws. The attorney argues that the matter was not a final, enforceable judgment when Brooks applied for the COVID relief grant in September 2021. Because the case was still under appeal and a final judgment was not entered until January 2022, the attorney contends that Brooks could reasonably answer “no” when asked whether he had any outstanding judgments.

“Bob Brooks already had a proven record of unethical, fraudulent, and illegal schemes, but this revelation is the most serious by far,” Mackenzie for Congress campaign manager, Andres Weller, said. “We knew that Brooks stole from his family and conned his workers, but evidence now suggests that he may have stolen from taxpayers as well. This apparent attempt to defraud taxpayers and the government isn’t just disqualifying, it raises serious questions about whether Brooks committed a criminal act. In their rush to elect a hand-picked candidate who would follow orders from the far-left, D.C. Democrats seem to have nominated an actual crook to represent the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos in Congress.