CINCINNATI - Adam Keith Charles, 37, of Cincinnati was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 14 months in prison for stealing the identity of a U.S. Military veteran and using it to obtain more than $20,000 in medical services at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Gavin McClaren, Resident Agent in Charge, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Criminal Investigations Division (VA-OIG), announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott.
According to court documents, in August 2016, Charles went to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Cincinnati for medical treatment knowing he had never served in the armed forces and therefore is not eligible for its health care benefits.
Charles falsely identified himself as his half-brother, who is a veteran, in order to obtain care. He did this on a number of occasions on an outpatient basis, incurring $1,700 to approximately $4,000 in care each time. In September 2016, he was admitted for nearly $10,800 worth of inpatient care and was given an identification wristband with the photo of another individual, presumably the half-brother, on it.
Charles pleaded guilty in July to one count of making a false statement and has remained in custody since.
He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $20,287.11 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the VA-OIG, as well as Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry, who is representing the United States in this case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
