June 20th 2024.
A man named William Rich is currently facing trial, accused of falsely claiming that he is paralyzed from the waist down and receiving over $767,000 in disability benefits from the Veterans Affairs. He is facing charges of wire fraud and theft of government property for allegedly faking his condition.
According to reports from The Military Times, Rich was indicted in 2021 after an investigation revealed that he had been pretending to be paralyzed during VA medical appointments and providing false information about his condition in order to receive compensation and other benefits.
The Baltimore Banner reported that Rich, who is 43 years old, sustained injuries while sitting at his desk in Baqubah, Iraq when a suicide bomber detonated explosives in a nearby dining facility. The incident occurred in 2005 and resulted in the death of two Americans. Fortunately, Rich's fragmentation vest saved him from serious harm, although a concrete wall did fall on top of him.
After the attack, the Department of Veterans Affairs determined that Rich was 100% disabled due to the loss of use of both of his lower extremities. However, in 2021, the Department of Justice declared that he was no longer paralyzed after making significant progress towards recovery within six weeks of the attack.
In 2018, the VA Office of Inspector General conducted an audit and found that Rich's condition was not consistent with what had been previously reported. As a result, he was placed under surveillance for two years, during which officials observed him walking, climbing stairs, getting in and out of vehicles, and carrying items without any visible limitations or the use of a wheelchair.
During the prosecutor's opening statement on June 18, Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen McGuinn stated, "People who pretend to be something they're not will eventually slip up and reveal the truth." She also described Rich's actions as an act, playing a role of someone who is wheelchair-bound.
McGuinn promised to present evidence, including video footage of Rich allegedly lifting weights and surveillance footage showing him using his lower extremities, to prove that he was not 100% disabled.
In response, Rich's lawyer, Gerald Ruter, defended his client, stating that he is a patriot and a hero, and that he is not an actor or guilty of the charges against him. This case highlights the issue of black veterans being denied PTSD benefits, which is a larger problem within the VA system.
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