A Georgia man traveled to Tennessee and posed as a veteran to receive more than $20,000 in medical benefits, according to federal officials.
Federal officials this month sentenced that man Kristopher M. Voyles, 31, to 27 months in prison followed by three years’ supervised release.
This, according to a press release that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee published last week.
As part of a negotiated plea agreement, Voyles pled guilty to theft of more than $1,000 of government property. Voyles must make restitution of $20,502 to the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, according to the press release.
“According to court records, Voyles is not a veteran and has never served in the United States military. On October 9, 2019, Voyles used the name, date of birth, and social security number of a United States veteran when receiving medical services at a hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee. The next day, while still impersonating the veteran, Voyles obtained a transfer to the VA Medical Center in Johnson City, Tennessee. Voyles used fraudulently obtained identification documents, and a fraudulently obtained Form DD214. For approximately a week, Voyles accepted medical goods, items, and services from the VA Medical Center. The value of the goods, items, and services Voyles stole was $20,502. When apprehended, Voyles still had the veteran’s identification documents with him, including the fraudulently obtained Form DD214,” the press release said.
“Subsequent investigation revealed that Voyles had previously been prosecuted by Atlanta, Georgia authorities for using the same veteran’s identity to obtain prescription drugs from the VA Medical Center in Atlanta.”
The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs Police and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (“VAOIG”). Special Agent Charles Pack led the federal investigation, the press release said.
According to its website, the VA’s Veterans Health Administration is the largest integrated healthcare network in the United States, with 1,255 health care facilities serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
