Get PolitiFact in your inbox.

Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke June 16, 2023

SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman wasn’t arrested by the military

If Your Time is short

  • This is fabricated.

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.

Featured Fact-check

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." 

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. 

We rate this post Pants on Fire!

 

Our Sources

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Ciara O'Rourke

SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman wasn’t arrested by the military

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up