It appears the Sinyards got off with a slap on the wrist and a foot massage too after bilking the Veterans Administration of millions of dollars.
The Justice Department announced in a press release issued a year ago:
JAMES SINYARD and MARY SINYARD pled guilty on May 18, 2023 before Chief U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to a one count bill of information charging them with wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.
According to the bill of information, VetAttend of Jackson was located in Jackson, Mississippi. Beginning on or about April 2013 and continuing until at least December 2020, the SINYARDS did knowingly devise a scheme to defraud the Department of Veterans Affairs by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, by creating false affidavits claiming services had been provided by VetAttend to veterans in need of home aid and attendance.
To effectuate this scheme, the SINYARDs submitted over one hundred applications for veterans and/or their surviving spouses to the Department of Veterans Affairs, falsely indicating that VetAttend of Jackson was already providing services to these veterans. As a result of these fictitious affidavits, from approximately August 2014 to approximately December 2020, the VA issued funds to over 70 veterans and/or their surviving spouses from whom VetAttend of Jackson misappropriated approximately $2,136,329.68 in fraudulent funds relating to the false affidavits of services provided.
Today’s guilty plea sends a clear message to those who would exploit veterans to commit fraud that they will be investigated and held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Kris Raper with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s South-Central Field Office.
The Court set sentencing of JAMES SINYARD and MARY SINYARD for September 28, 2023.
Each defendant faces a possible maximum term of imprisonment of twenty years, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three (3) years supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee .
The case was prosecuted in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana. U.S. District Judge Nanette Brown sentenced the Sinyards on December 5, 2023.
The Court sentenced James Sinyard to serve six months in prison and ordered him to pay $350,000 in restitution. He reported to prison in February and will be released in July. Mary Sinyard received a prison sentence of six months and only has to pay $90,000 in restitution. The Bureau of Prisons website states she was released from prison on February 20, a month after she reported to prison on January 20.
Both defendants must serve a three-year term of supervised release upon release from prison.
19 comments:
$2,136,329.68 and have to pay back $440,000. Not a bad gig. I've got the clear message. Steal a few mil, give 20% back, do a little time in club fed, and keep on L-I-V-I-N! Now if I could only bilk some HOA's out of their funds and pass the buck onto my aging father I would be in the chips!
Someone should tell Special Agent in Charge Kris Raper that he is sending a clear message, but I'm not sure if it is the one he intended.
"Today’s guilty plea sends a clear message..."
I guess all of the dozens of prior "clear messages" didn't stick?
Kind of like "we are making some changes so this never happens again." Yawn.
Our government agencies are chumps when it comes to giving our money away to grifters.
Will they be required to pay for their golf clubs at Club Fed?
Forced to only pay back 20% of the stolen money...that's akin to all the vets getting checks for 100% "disability."
Great, now time to investigate the mysterious VA parking lot vendor.
All these government offices get taken due in part to poor oversight by employees. But never hear about employees being fired, reassigned or agency heads being cited for poor administrative oversight.
KF you are chicken shit to post anything critical of Trump. Now I know why.
The USA needs to learn not every sentence merits a press release. Someone needs to give Lynn, Shad and the USA a lesson in when a case doesn’t merit a press release
Oh, pretty sure they ratted on the bigger fish . . . hence getting a smaller sentence and restitution. Their cohort got more time and a stiffer fine. Regardless . . . they got off easy considering the fact.
Same people who are mad at Brett Favre, although is funding was not illegal.
So did they sing a song about others who were also stealing in order to get reduced sentence and payback?
A message has been sent all right. It just may not have been the one you wanted to communicate.
Pathetic. They must have some political connections.
It is just the veterans who will take the brunt of the crime. No one really cares about them, especially anyone working at a VA hospital. They would much rather get rid of all of the veterans. The veterans showing up at a VA hospital for help put a crimp on the fun and games the workers are having.
A slap on the wrist! TERRIBLE!! Their sentence should have been much, much longer! And they should be required to pay back all of the money. To take money away from veterans is a disgrace!
Following the Big Harma business model! Lie, cheat and steal to get a dangerous and deadly drug approved, bribe the M.D. pharma whore scrip writers, pocket $10B in a short period of time, then settle a pre-packaged mass tort class action for $1B. Great ROI.
What a crappy verdict.
Don't worry people. The veterans will make it. No matter how many politicians steal millions that was supposed to help veterans. No matter how many doctors steal money the veterans need for their medical needs. The veterans will always be there to save their sorry asses.
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