Media Coverage March 2009

Man Pleads Guilty in Huge VA Fraud Case

April 07, 2009

Associated Press

SPOKANE, Wash. - A former Idaho sheriff's deputy who falsely claimed he was paraplegic has pleaded guilty in a $1.5 million disability fraud case that a U.S. attorney said is the largest in Veterans Affairs Department history.

James M. Sebero accepted an agreement with prosecutors and pleaded guilty Monday to charges of wire fraud and making a false statement.

Sebero, a former Bonner County, Idaho, sheriff's marine deputy, agreed to forfeit personal assets and to pay $950,000 in restitution, and could face 20 years and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced July 10....

SEE FAKE WAR HEROES [THE BEST MAY BE YET TO COME]

http://www.military.com/news/article/vet-accused-of-faking-paralysis.html?col=1186032310810&wh=news

Vet Accused of Faking Paralysis

March 16, 2009
Spokesman-Review

SPOKANE, Wash. -- A federal judge has refused to dismiss charges against a 58-year-old Spokane man who is accused of pretending to be paralyzed and successfully collecting $1.5 million in monthly payments from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

But Senior Judge Justin Quackenbush on March 13 ordered separate trials for James M. Sebero, who is charged in the Eastern District of Washington and the District of Idaho with federal crimes related to the alleged fraud. It started in the mid-1970s, authorities say, when Sebero claimed he suffered a paralyzing injury while in the Air Force.....

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008884380_apstolenvalor.html

Grand jury indicts Ketchikan man on charges of false claims to military medals

A Ketchikan man has been indicted on charges of lying about his military record.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska —

A Ketchikan man has been indicted on charges of lying about his military record.

U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler says 53-year-old Thomas A. Dye is charged with two counts of violating the Stolen Valor Act, which criminalizes false claims to military medals.

He's also charged with two counts of misusing federal documents, including use of an altered military discharge certificate and the false use of Coast Guard Merchant Mariner license....