New Hampshire, January 27: A 49-year-old military veteran in US pleaded guilty before district court on Thursday, January 25 for duping Department of Veterans Affairs for 20 years. Christopher Stultz from New Hampshire admitted he spent the last two decades in wheelchair in order to claim over USD 660,000 in benefits for his fake injury from Veteran's Affairs Office.

According to a report in New York Post, Stultz devised the plan in January 2003 and told the VA that he could no longer use his feet. This prompted the US Department of Veterans Affairs to rate him as 100 percent disabled, thereby raising Stultz's monthly benefits. He reportedly acquired funds via VA's Automobile Adaptive Equipment program and bought vehicles, special cars designed to help mobility-impaired veterans. US Shocker: 17-Year-Old Charged with Property Damage After Taping Fish to ATMs and Police Car in Provo (See Pics and Videos).

Stultz reportedly received a total amount of USD $662,871.77 in VA benefits he was not entitled to between January 2003 and December 2022. However, his whole plan crumbled like pack of cards after he was seen walking around on multiple occasions without the use of the wheelchair, reported the publication. Law enforcement officials stated that they surveyed him several times walking normally, sans the wheelchair. US Shocker: California Woman Fatally Stabs Boyfriend Over 100 Times in ‘Cannabis-Induced Psychosis’, Sentenced to Probation and Community Service.

The Antrim Elementary school teacher had arrived at the VA Medical Center in Jamaica Plain in Boston with a wheelchair in October 2021. But, after leaving the facility he had lifted the ambulatory device into his car and drove off. In another photo which he posted on his social media page, Stultz was spotted standing straight without his wheelchair while participating in several activities with his former students at Antrim Elementary School. Several people who had acquaintance with Stultz dating back to the early 2000s also informed investigators that they had never observed him requiring a wheelchair or any other walking aid.

During the trial, Christopher Stultz pleaded guilty to making false statements to the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2003 to collect a 100 percent  disability rating, according to the US Attorney’s Office. The offender faces five years of imprisonment for his actions. He will likely be ordered to reimburse the entire amount of funds he deceitfully obtained over the years.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 27, 2024 04:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).