BOSTON (WBSM) — A New Bedford man has been charged with stealing more than $450,000 in disability benefits issued by the U.S. Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA).
The disability fund was created for a veteran who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and served in the United States Marine Corps for 20 years.
Joseph Smith, 71, was charged with one count of theft of government benefits and one count of conspiracy to steal government benefits.
According to the indictment, shortly after the victim was diagnosed with ALS in August 2015, VBA approved and provided the victim with monthly payments of approximately $8,318.
Beginning in September 2015, the VBA began mailing monthly payment checks to the victim’s former home in New Bedford, where she had previously lived with Smith and others.
While the victim was hospitalized between 2015 and 2020, Smith and others allegedly received monthly disability benefits from the VBA and deposited them into a bank account they controlled.
Smith allegedly first deposited the disability payments into a bank account in his own name and then began depositing them into fraudulent bank accounts that he and others had opened in the victims’ names.
Smith allegedly withdrew the funds in cash shortly after depositing his disability benefits and used them for personal expenses.
In total, Smith and his associates allegedly stole more than $450,000 in VBA disability benefits intended for the victims between 2015 and 2020.
“This week marks 80 years since incredibly brave military men and women landed on the beaches of Normandy to save Europe, and we all owe our nation a debt of gratitude to our veterans who served our country,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “The theft of disability benefits that were meant for a 20-year veteran facing a life-threatening illness, as alleged here, is outrageous. The immorality uncovered by our criminal justice system is, at times, simply staggering.”
Smith is currently in custody on unrelated charges and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on June 11.
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