Veteran’s Ex-Wife Tried Hiding Divorce After He Died to Steal His VA Benefits, Feds Say

A U.S. Army veteran’s ex-wife insisted she was his surviving spouse after he died so she could steal his military benefits, federal prosecutors said. Miranda Rachel Briggs of Rincon, Georgia, defrauded the Department of Veterans Affairs out of nearly $130,000 after she tried hiding the divorce, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern […]
Army Veteran Caught Faking Severe PTSD, Purple Heart Award to Steal $779,000, Feds Say

A U.S. Army veteran stole more than $779,000 in government disability benefits by pretending to have severe PTSD in a scheme that involved him lying about receiving a Purple Heart award, federal prosecutors said. Kevin Paul McMains, 44, of Milton, Florida, was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for theft of government […]
National Guard Soldier Fatally Shot Ex's Boyfriend While on Drill Duty Break, Feds Say

A National Guard member is charged with murder in a shooting that triggered a lockdown at a military base in Georgia, federal prosecutors said. Natravien Landry, 25, of Abbeville, Louisiana, fatally shot a man early in the morning Saturday, Dec. 14, at his ex’s residence in Fort Eisenhower, just southwest of downtown Augusta, the U.S. […]
Army Soldier Lies About Grandma’s Pie Sales to Steal $41,000 in COVID Loans, Feds Say

An active-duty U.S. Army soldier lied about earning $100,000 from pie sales to steal thousands in COVID-19 relief loans meant to support small businesses during the pandemic, federal prosecutors said. The soldier stationed at Fort Gregg-Adams in Virginia said he earned the income in 2020 by selling his grandmother’s pies through a business called “Granny’s […]
Army Reservists Lied About Performing Funeral Ceremonies — And Stole $100,000, Feds Say

A Louisiana man is the latest former U.S. Army reservist to plead guilty in a fraud scheme that scammed the Army out of more than $100,000, federal prosecutors said. He is one of seven defendants charged in January 2021 in connection with lying about performing honors ceremonies at military funerals, according to the U.S. Attorney’s […]
Feds Arrest Soldier at Schofield Barracks for Jan. 6 Assault on Police – a Day After He Was Booted

An active-duty soldier — who was separated from the service a day before the FBI arrested him Tuesday at an Army base in Hawaii — was charged for repeatedly striking a police officer with a flag during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, according to court records released this week. Alexander Cain Poplin, 31, […]
Soldier's Child Porn Charges Come as Feds Pursue Cases in Which Artificial Intelligence Was Used to Make Images

A U.S. soldier in Alaska is facing federal charges after prosecutors say that he used artificial intelligence to create sexual images of children whom he knew — including those around his own daughter’s age. Spc. Seth Herrera, 34, who is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, was arrested last week on three charges […]
Feds Arrest Ex-US Green Beret in Connection to Failed 2020 Raid of Venezuela to Remove Maduro

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A former U.S. Green Beret who in 2020 organized a failed cross-border raid of Venezuelan army deserters to remove President Nicolás Maduro has been arrested in New York on federal arms smuggling charges. A federal indictment unsealed this week in Tampa, Florida, accuses Jordan Goudreau and a Venezuelan partner, Yacsy Alvarez, […]
Army Officer Facing Discharge Deletes Training Materials, Calls Russian Embassy, Feds Say

The same night a U.S. Army officer filmed himself deleting Army training materials while he was being discharged from the military, he called the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., according to federal prosecutors. In the video Manfredo Martin-Michael Madrigal III recorded in February 2022, he was “graphically describing his ill-will towards the Army,” prosecutors said. […]
Army Officer Gropes 16-Year-Old on Flight, Then Assaults Another Passenger, Feds Say

A former U.S. Army officer will serve prison time after he was convicted of groping a 16-year-old — and then an 18-year-old — on separate flights to Seattle last year, federal prosecutors said. James Benecke, 42, was a chief warrant officer stationed in Alaska when he sexually assaulted the teen in April 2023 and then […]