Marvin Deboulet, a 51-year-old resident of Catonsville, Maryland, has pled guilty to wire fraud in a federal court. The charges are related to a scheme where he fraudulently obtained benefits from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA).
The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, alongside Special Agent in Charge Nate Landkrammer from the VA's Office of the Inspector General and Special Agent in Charge Colleen Lawlor from the SSA's Office of the Inspector General.
According to his guilty plea, Deboulet enlisted in the U.S. Army in February 2010 but went absent without leave by December that year. He was charged with desertion and discharged under conditions other than honorable in November 2011.
In June 2012, Deboulet sought medical care at a VA center in California, falsely claiming an honorable discharge and that he was a Purple Heart recipient. He also submitted documents falsely stating service in the U.S. Marine Corps with combat-related injuries.
Deboulet continued his fraudulent activities by seeking SSA benefits in October 2014, providing false information about his military service history. This led to him receiving $143,128.27 in undeserved benefit funds.
He faces up to 20 years for wire fraud; however, actual sentences are typically less than maximum penalties due to various statutory factors considered by judges.
U.S. Attorney Hayes praised both VA-OIG and SSA-OIG for their investigative work and thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kertisha Dixon for prosecuting the case.
For further details on resources available through the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, visit their official website.
