A , U. S. Army , veteran stole more than$ 779, 000 in government disability benefits by pretending to have severe PTSD in a scheme that involved him lying about receiving a Purple Heart award, federal prosecutors said.
Kevin Paul McMains, 44, of , Milton, Florida, was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for theft of government funds and two counts of making false statements to a federal agency, the , U. S.  , Attorney ‘s , Office for the Middle District of Florida , said in a , Jan. 13 , news release.
He originally pleaded guilty to the charges, lawyers said.
” Our service members, and their families, make incredible sacrifices to defend our country and are deserving of our deepest respect and the disability benefits intended for our injured patriots” , , U. S.  , Attorney , Jason R. Coody , said in a statement. ” Accordingly, the defendant’s fabrication of papers and false promises of service-connected wounds, to include his statement he was awarded a Purple Heart, is not only legal, but repulsive”.
McMains, a federal public defender, didn’t respond to McClatchy News ‘ request for comment right away.
From , May 2009 , to , February 2023, McMains defrauded the , VA, the , Social Security Administration , and the , Department of Health and Human Services , of gains, according to court records.
After McMains left the Army in 2009, the , VA , rated McMains as 100 % crippled for PTSD that caused him depression and memory failures, a declaration of information says. He served in the Army from , July 8, 1999, to , October 8, 1999, and from , March 8, 2001, to , April 27, 2009.
In the years that followed, McMains exaggerated the effects of his PTSD and provided misleading information to the , VA , to help his 100 % illness grade, according to prosecutors.
McMains, who is now “knowing that was not true,” told health professionals that he had a history of PTSD and that it prevented him from working, living regular, and taking care of himself.
According to court documents, investigators found McMains ‘ faked a form he allegedly filled out with a mental health counselor and “gave the impression that ( McMains’ ) medical condition related to PTSD was much worse than it really was.”
McMains even lied to , VA , health workers during two tests at a , VA , office in , Pensacola , in , December 2019 , and , February 2021, the statement of facts says.
The , VA , rated him as 100 % impaired following these tests, according to the declaration of information.
Nevertheless, he should’ve been given a lower illness standing, lawyers wrote in the filing.
According to the statement of facts,” Had McMains provided truthful information to the VA, his disability rating for PTSD would have instead been 30 %.”
McMains also made up allegations that he falsely received a Purple Heart, which lawyers claimed he allegedly used as evidence of “his service-connected traumas.”
The Purple Heart is awarded to people who were injured or killed during their , U. S.  , military services.
McMains ‘ lies to the , VA , resulted in him receiving , Social Security , illness rewards and Medicare cover he wasn’t entitled to, prosecutors said.
As part of his sentence, McMains must pay$ 378, 380.82 in restitution to the , VA,$ 357, 847.80 in restitution to the SSA and$ 43, 451.56 in restitution to the , Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, according to the , U. S.  , Attorney’s Office.
According to the prosecution, he will offer two decades of supervised release following his sentencing.
Milton, where McMains lives, is about a 180-mile drive east from , Tallahassee.
Government benefits scam
Out of more than 64, 000 national criminal cases reported to the , U. S. Sentencing Commission  , in 2023, almost 5, 000 involved” fraud, property damage and scam”, according to the company.
Government benefits scam made up 16.3% of these cases, and nearly 800 people were sentenced in benefit fraud cases that year, the U.S. Sentencing Commission reports.
The government benefits fraud cases have increased by 92.2 % since 2019, according to the agency.
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