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Army Vet Accused of Fraud in $1M Disability Windfall

A Maryland Army veteran might resist 30 years in jail after, prosecutors talked about, he made a false declare in 2007 to the Division of Veterans Affairs that he’s a paraplegic.

On Tuesday, the Justice Division acknowledged that 41-year-old William Rich faces a most of 20 years in federal jail for wire fraud and a most sentence of 10 years in federal jail for theft of presidency property if convicted of all crimes.

Based mostly on the Justice Division, Rich, who lives in Windsor Mill, Maryland, was given 100 computer incapacity from the U.S. Division of Veterans Affairs in 2007 because of him fraudulently claiming that he was disabled and couldn’t use his “lower extremities,” in response to court docket docket paperwork. After the declare was permitted, Rich acquired better than $1 million in benefits and compensation for personal use.

Military Patches
A Maryland Army veteran is presently going via as a lot as 30 years in jail after prosecutors talked about he made a false declare in 2007 to the Division of Veterans Affairs that he’s a paraplegic. Above is a picture of military patches.
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Together with the incapacity compensation, Rich moreover collected grants from the VA for “Automotive and Adaptive Instruments” and “Particularly Tailor-made Housing.” Rich allegedly used funds meant to purchase a vehicle suited to individuals with disabilities and bought a BMW 645ci luxurious sports activities actions coupe.

Rich served inside the U.S. Army from September 22, 1998, to February 27, 2007. He was injured August 30, 2005, whereas on energetic obligation in Baqubah, Iraq, in response to a press launch from the DOJ. Six weeks after Rich’s accidents, he recovered and wasn’t paralyzed anymore, in response to court docket docket paperwork.

The Military Events obtained a report from Rich’s Oct. 7, 2005, annual bodily examination, which states that an August 2005 MRI revealed that there have been “no [spinal] wire impingement” or “[spinal] wire abnormalities.” The examination report moreover acknowledged that Rich’s “… paralysis has resolved significantly, and at present, he is able to switch his lower extremities.”

One different report revealed that Rich was in a position to performing daily necessary actions with “full independence” or “modified independence,” similar to using the bathroom, and “locomotion.”

Quite a lot of Rich’s social media accounts confirmed him standing, indicating that he didn’t need a wheelchair for daily actions. Regulation enforcement moreover discovered films of Rich lifting weights along with {a photograph} he took of himself standing in entrance of a well being membership mirror.

Rich has already been charged with one rely of wire fraud and one rely of theft of presidency property. On October 13, he was scheduled to look in U.S. District Courtroom in Baltimore and ordered to be launched pending trial.

Rich has been assigned a federal public defender to perform counsel.

Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Army for extra suggestions.

https://www.newsweek.com/army-vet-accused-fraud-1m-disability-windfall-1640638 | Army Vet Accused of Fraud in $1M Incapacity Windfall

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