Pace Man Indicted for Theft and False Statements

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Tony Gene Broxton, Jr., 54, of Pace, Florida, appeared yesterday in federal court on charges of theft of public money and making false statements to federal agencies, according to Pamela C. Marsh, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The four-count indictment charges that Broxton stole money from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and made fraudulent statements to both agencies regarding his employment as the Treasurer and Financial Officer for the Pace Fire and Rescue District (PFRD).  Count One charges Broxton with stealing over $140,000 from the SSA between 2008 and 2013.  Count Two charges Broxton with stealing over $60,000 from the VA from between 2009 and 2013.  Count Three charges Broxton with falsely stating to the VA that he had no job and no one would hire him due to his disabilities, when in fact he was actively employed by PFRD at the time.  Count Four charges Broxton with falsely stating to the SSA that he was not paid for his work with PFRD and that his wife had worked full-time for PFRD, when in fact Broxton’s wife did not work for PFRD and payments for Broxton’s work as Treasurer and Financial Officer of PFRD were made directly to his wife, in her name.

Broxton is scheduled for trial on July 8, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Court Judge M. Casey Rodgers.  If convicted, Broxton faces a maximum of ten years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for each count of theft, as well as a maximum of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for each count of making a false statement.

The indictment results from an investigation by agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General and by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Kim.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.