Elyria man charged with theft of government funds

A criminal information was filed charging Edward Erickson, 68, of Elyria, with theft of government money and property, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Erickson is accused of illegally receiving low-income pension payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs in the amount of $57,024, according to the information.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, and the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

The investigating agency in this case is the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General-Criminal Investigations Division, Cleveland Resident Agency.  The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Noah P. Hood and Gene Crawford.