The military arrested the administrator of the Small Business Administration.
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SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman wasn’t arrested by the military
A screenshot of what looks like a news headline suggests that the U.S. military arrested a member of the Biden Administration.
"Military nabs another COVID criminal," says the headline above a photo of Small Business Administration administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman at her confirmation hearing in February 2021.
But the story’s byline is a giveaway that this isn’t authentic news.
An Instagram post sharing this screenshot was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
The story appeared June 15 on the website Real Raw News, which fabricates sensational stories and are written by someone using a pseudonym.
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The site’s "About Us" page features a disclaimer that its content includes "humor, parody and satire."
This particular story cites an anonymous source claiming Guzman was detained on charges "she threatened small business owners with unaffordable fines and jail time unless they adhered to COVID-19 protocols."
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Guzman wasn’t arrested. We found no news stories or other credible sources reporting such an arrest, and she’s remained active on social media and in the public eye, appearing June 14 at an event in New Hampshire and visiting three LGBTQ+-owned small businesses June 15 in Washington.
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Our Sources
Instagram post, June 15, 2023
Real Raw News, Military Nabs Another Covid Criminal, June 15, 2023
PolitiFact, Hangings, guillotines and Gitmo: Going behind Real Raw News’ sensational (and fabricated) headlines, Sept. 24, 2021
Getty Images, Confirmation Hearing Held For SBA Administrator Nominee Isabella Casillas Guzman, Feb. 3, 2021
Isabel Guzman Twitter account, visited June 16, 2023
Washington Blade, Second gentleman and SBA administrator visit LGBTQ-owned small businesses, June 15, 2023
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SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman wasn’t arrested by the military
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