Wayne Man Sentenced to Two Years Probation for VA Fraud

Contact: Chris Ruge
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Lawrence A. Stewart, 48, of Wayne, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to two years of probation and fined $8,000 for theft of public money.  He was also ordered to pay $53,852.72 in restitution to the Veterans Administration ("VA"), which he paid prior to sentencing.  The defendant pled guilty on April 8, 2015.

According to court records, from about October 2011 until January 2015, Stewart received additional VA disability compensation based on unemployability when he was, in fact, gainfully employed.  Stewart repeatedly provided falsified documentation to the VA, underreporting the extent of his employment and the income he received.

"By taking money you were not entitled to, you took it from the sole agency whose purpose it to serve veterans," Judge Woodcock told the defendant before imposing the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the VA Office of the Inspector General.