Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Greenbelt, Maryland – Marvin Deboulet, 51, of Catonsville, Maryland, pled guilty to wire fraud in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain Veterans Affairs and Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits in federal court.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the plea with Special Agent in Charge Nate Landkrammer, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, Office of the Inspector General (VA-OIG), and Special Agent in Charge Colleen Lawlor, Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG) – Philadelphia Field Division.
According to the guilty plea, Deboulet enlisted in the U.S. Army in February 2010, and officially entered duty for basic training, on May 5, 2010. Then on December 2, 2010, Deboulet went absent without official leave of duty (AWOL) from military service.
On June 6, 2011, Deboulet was charged by summary court martial with a period of desertion ending on March 22, 2011. The U.S. Army formally discharged Deboulet “under conditions other than honorable” on November 18, 2011. Prior to and after 2010, Deboulet never served in any branch of the U.S. military.
In June 2012, Deboulet sought care from a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center in Loma Linda, California. On his application for treatment, Deboulet indicated that he was discharged honorably and checked a box stating that he was a purple heart recipient.
Additionally, Deboulet submitted documents falsely claiming that he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and suffered combat-related mental and physical injuries during military service from 2003 and 2005. Deboulet also falsely stated that he was the sole survivor of a Humvee bombing in Kosovo. As a result of Deboulet’s misrepresentations, the VA provided Deboulet with medical care and associated costs that he was not entitled to.
Then, in October 2014, Deboulet sought SSA benefits in Hagerstown, Maryland. Deboulet again provided false information, specifically that he served in the U.S. Marine Corps from February 26, 1994, until November 23, 2005. Based on its rules as of June 2012, the SSA determined Deboulet was disabled based on information he provided, and a pending claim that he referenced with a VA medical facility.
As a result of its findings, the SSA awarded Deboulet and his son benefits. Deboulet fraudulently received $143,128.27 in benefit funds that he was not entitled to.
Deboulet faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for wire fraud. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the VA-OIG and SSA-OIG for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kertisha Dixon who is prosecuting the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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