This was his second offense, he got off easy.

https://www.postandcourier.com...69-2f653c5079a9.html

Charleston man who claimed to be veteran and defrauded the VA is sentenced

By Gregory Yee gyee@postandcourier.com
Nov 21, 2018 Updated Nov 22, 2018

A Charleston man who falsely claimed to be a combat veteran and scammed the Department of Veterans Affairs out of nearly $200,000 in benefits has been sentenced.

Keith R. Hudson, 71, will serve six months in federal prison and six months of home confinement, Sherri Lydon, U.S. attorney for South Carolina, announced Wednesday.

“Evidence presented to the court showed that Hudson falsely claimed that he was entitled to VA benefits because he was a veteran who had been in combat in Vietnam,” according to Lydon’s announcement. “He even went so far as to claim that he had received two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.”

In all, he received $197,237 in benefits, the announcement said.

Lydon called Hudson’s deception “an egregious crime” and said that he “trampled on the memory of those who have bravely served our country.”

″(He) not only stole from the taxpayers by taking benefits he did not earn, he also stole directly from veterans who served our nation and protected our freedom,” according to the statement. “Every minute of time he spent with a VA doctor or a staff member is a minute he stole from a real veteran.”

It was not Hudson’s first scheme.

In 2005, he falsely claimed to be a veteran to claim benefits while in Connecticut, Lydon said. He was prosecuted and placed in a pretrial diversion.

He later moved to Charleston, where he applied for VA benefits in 2012.

“He used the same falsified form from the Department of Defense ... and claimed that he was in the Navy and saw combat as a medic, suffering wounds and other trauma,” the announcement stated. “He claimed that he served from Aug. 1, 1967 through Oct. 31, 1971.”

But prosecutors said Hudson never served in any branch of the military, much less saw combat in Vietnam.

In Charleston, he asked U.S. District Judge Richard M. Gergel for probation instead of a prison sentence, citing his age and poor health, according to the announcement. Gergel denied the request and also ordered Hudson to pay $297,237 in restitution.

Hudson pleaded guilty in Gergel’s courtroom in June and had faced up to a 10-year sentence.

A firing squad should be formed and administer some appropriate justice.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
Gergel denied the request and also ordered Hudson to pay $297,237 in restitution.

Now that's funny right there. The guy's 71 and likely doesn't have two nickels to his name. Unless he can find another scheme to further defraud taxpayers, this judgement will never be settled.

quote:

Hudson pleaded guilty in Gergel’s courtroom in June and had faced up to a 10-year sentence.

Ten years IMO would have been far too little for the crime he committed. Every minute he was in front of a VA doctor was a minute unavailable to someone who actually served and needed that time.

As a retired army person and service disabled veteran, I don't understand how he got away with getting such a big payout? When I retired from the army and applied for benefits at the VA, I had to bring all types of military documentation, and wait for several weeks to get my VA ID card while they verified my claim and statues. This all while being officially medically retired and my paperwork sent in advance to the VA. He must have a good scam/story to have even got his foot in the door.

quote:

Originally posted by Cousin Vinnie:
As a retired army person and service disabled veteran, I don't understand how he got away with getting such a big payout? When I retired from the army and applied for benefits at the VA, I had to bring all types of military documentation, and wait for several weeks to get my VA ID card while they verified my claim and statues. This all while being officially medically retired and my paperwork sent in advance to the VA. He must have a good scam/story to have even got his foot in the door.

The thing about the VA is that you need to babysit your claim and continually advocate for yourself. Many legitimate Veterans give up and don't work to find benefits they qualify for, or don't want to take those benefits away from people who they think "need" it more. People like this guy have literally nothing better to do, and have all the time in the world to work a scam claim.