Chelsea Man Pleads Guilty to Theft of VA Benefits

Bangor, Maine: Acting United States Attorney Richard W. Murphy announced that Victor Lawrence, 63, of Chelsea, Maine pled guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to theft of travel reimbursement benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

According to court records, Lawrence submitted 77 claims from 2015 through 2016 to the VA for travel reimbursement, falsely claiming that he had driven nearly 100 miles to obtain treatment from the Togus VA Medical Center while he was in fact residing less than six miles away.

Lawrence faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by the Criminal Investigation Division of the V.A. Office of the Inspector General.