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Jerry Smith of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of receiving stolen government money. According to the plea agreement, Smith falsely represented to VA that he was legally blind and that his condition prevented him from driving, working, and performing various daily functions. As a result, from 2017-2021, Smith received more than $240,000 in VA disability compensation and benefits. In reality, Smith’s vision was significantly better than what he had represented to VA He worked as a firearms specialist and school guardian and could drive, read, and navigate obstacles in stores. The VA OIG investigated this case.
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Denise Baez, of Brockton, Massachusetts, was charged with wire fraud. According to the charging documents, she allegedly made false claims on two applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans. To support these claims, she submitted fraudulent tax documents. Baez, who the VA has employed since August 2021, was approved for the loans and received $41,666, which she used on personal expenses. She submitted loan-forgiveness applications and falsely claimed she’d spent the funds on payroll, and the loan forgiveness was granted. The VA OIG and the Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration investigated this case.
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Sohaib Akhter of Alexandria, Virginia, was convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, password trafficking, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Sohaib Akhter, and his twin brother and co-defendant, Muneeb Akhter, worked for a software company that provided products and services to more than 45 federal government agencies. In February 2025, Muneeb Akhter asked Sohaib Akhter for the plaintext password of an individual who submitted a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Public Portal, which was maintained by the Akhters’ employer. Sohaib Akhter conducted a database query on the EEOC database and then provided the password to Muneeb Akhter. That password was subsequently used to access that individual’s email account without authorization. This case was a multi-agency investigation.
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Raymond Kenneth Musgrove, formerly of Grant County, Washington, was sentenced to more than two years in prison and ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution, for false representation of a Social Security number, wire fraud, and theft of government funds. For more than 25 years, Musgrove fraudulently obtained VA benefits and healthcare services by assuming the identity of a veteran. The VA OIG and Social Security Administration Office OIG investigated this case.
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