A , U. S. Navy , former considered” 100 % disabled” always visited a , VA , health centre in a chair, then ditched the system after he left his visits — often to come shopping and walk around stores, according to federal prosecutors.
Christopher Stultz , of , New Hampshire , is accused of , pretending to be unable to walk , for two years, allowing him to grab$ 662, 871.77 in rewards meant for disabled veterans, federal prosecutors said.
Then the 49- yr- old , Antrim , resident has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after earlier pleading guilty to making false statements,  , U. S.  , Attorney , Jane E. Young, of the District of , New Hampshire, said in a , May 6 , news release.  , Antrim , is about an 80- mile drive northwest of , Boston.
The federal defender appointed to represent him,  , Dorothy E. Graham, did n’t immediately respond to a request for comment from , McClatchy News , on , May 7.
Witnesses reported Stultz “was in good physical condition and walked normally” for more than 20 years, court documents state. He once taught at an elementary school and worked at a gym, where the gym’s owner reported he never used a wheelchair, according to prosecutors.
Following these reports, the , Department of Veterans Affairs , started investigating. Then, Stultz was captured on surveillance footage, on multiple occasions, walking after his visits to , VA , centers, according to court documents.
” Once he left the , VA , facilities he abandoned the façade”, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
A VA doctor discovers that he can “often walk.”
On one occasion, in , October 2021, Stultz arrived for an appointment at a , Boston VA , medical center in his wheelchair, prosecutors said. Afterward, he headed to his car inside a parking garage and was seen standing up, according to prosecutors.
Then, according to the prosecution, he “walked without any impairment through multiple stores” before driving his wheelchair into his car.
Afterward, Stultz visited a liquor store and a Kohl’s, where he was also spotted walking, according to the sentencing memo.
A year later, he parked in a handicap space at a , VA , medical center in , Manchester, New Hampshire, and saw his doctor, who determined he “was still unable to use his feet”, court documents say.
Following the appointment, he was caught strolling through a mall without any “ambulatory devices” before he went to shop, and walk, at a Target and at another shopping plaza, according to prosecutors.
After being shown surveillance footage, his , VA , physician said Stultz could “obviously walk”, court documents state.
His injuries after enlisting in the Navy
Stultz actively served in the , Navy , from 1995 through 1999, when he was discharged, according to prosecutors.
A year after joining the service, he fell off a horse and got hurt, prosecutors said.
From that point on, “he performed light duties” until his discharge, according to prosecutors. Afterward, the , VA , rated him as “partly disabled” — until prosecutors said he started lying.
By 2003, Stultz maintained he could n’t use his feet and was rated as” 100 % disabled” by the , VA, according to prosecutors.
In February of that year, he received$ 2, 994 in monthly disability benefits that” steadily increased”, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
In , December 2021, he was collecting$ 4, 774.61 a month, the sentencing memo says.
Because it was believed that he could n’t use both feet, Stultz was awarded nearly$ 190, 000 from the VA’s Automobile Adaptive Equipment program, according to prosecutors.
According to the prosecution, this gave him the ability to buy cars “designed to help mobility-impaired veterans”.
However, he’s accused of selling the cars in exchange for cash, according to prosecutors.
‘ Disease forgery’ defense
Ahead of sentencing, prosecutors said a forensic psychological evaluation was used as a major part of Stultz’s defense.
A doctor cited a fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM- 5- TR ), citing a sentencing memo from his defense attorney that said he” satisfied the criteria for factitious disorder.”
” Factitious disorder is often disease forgery for the sake of the forgery itself, coupled with concomitant benefits of being ill ( that may include nurturing, attention, sympathy, and lenience from others )”, the doctor concluded.
In the sentencing memo, Graham wrote that “while the disorder does not excuse Mr. Stultz’s criminal responsibility, it does provide context to his behavior” and “provides an explanation rooted in conduct motivated by forces other than malicious greed”.
However, prosecutors argued that this was n’t enough to support his defense.
” He only sought’ nurturing, attention, sympathy, and lenience’ from the , VA, and ultimately obtained over$ 660, 000 in benefits through his lies”, prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.
” Like many white- collar defendants, ( he ) has a loving family and supportive friends. … But despite having it all, he still chose to commit this crime”.
As part of his sentencing, Stultz must pay$ 662, 871.77 in restitution, according to prosecutors.
According to the sentencing memo Graham submitted, federal agents “indicated” to prosecutors and his defense that he would “need to be reevaluated for a new Disability Compensation Rating.”
” This is one of the most outrageous benefits fraud cases ever brought against this state.” … He stole not only from taxpayers, but also his fellow veterans who were entitled to the benefits”, Young said in a statement.
___
© 2024 The Charlotte Observer
Distributed by , Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
