Post by Swampy on Jul 24, 2020 9:25:36 GMT -5
A man who pretended to be a Navy SEAL, Silver Star recipient and prisoner of war in order to collect more than $300,000 worth of free heath care from the Department of Veterans Affairs has pleaded guilty to charges including healthcare fraud, stolen valor and abetting illicit gun purchases.
Richard Meleski, 58, of Chalfont, Penn., was indicted last November for his scheme to defraud the VA, which included not only health care but also monetary compensation for post-traumatic stress he claimed was due to service in Beirut, where he said he rescued other wounded troops. He also submitted another application for compensation to the VA in which he "included obituaries of actual Navy SEALs alongside whom he had supposedly served," according to a U.S. Department of Justice release.
Richard Meleski, 58, of Chalfont, Penn., was indicted last November for his scheme to defraud the VA, which included not only health care but also monetary compensation for post-traumatic stress he claimed was due to service in Beirut, where he said he rescued other wounded troops. He also submitted another application for compensation to the VA in which he "included obituaries of actual Navy SEALs alongside whom he had supposedly served," according to a U.S. Department of Justice release.
www.military.com/daily-news/2020/07/23/fake-seal-pleads-guilty-stolen-valor-stealing-va.html