Army veteran Gregory Heimann is accused of falsely claiming crippling injuries to his back and legs to collect $245,000 in benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. (U.S. Marshals Service)
(Tribune News Service) — A veteran who told the federal government for years that he was paralyzed walked into court Tuesday for his initial hearing.
Gregory Heimann Jr., 51, of Princeton is charged with making a false statement to the government, specifically the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Heimann — who walked into the courtroom and stood unassisted during the hearing — pleaded not guilty during the hearing in U.S. District Court in Bangor.
His arrest in Missouri on Aug. 21 ended a nearly year and a half stretch of being on the run from federal law enforcement after Heimann allegedly faked his death April 19, 2024, in eastern Maine. A warrant for his arrest was issued 10 days later.
Heimann convinced doctors he was injured during his time in the Army in the 1990s, according to an affidavit filed in support of his arrest. It was a yearslong plot escalating from walking with a cane to saying he was fully paralyzed, according to the affidavit.
Agents from the VA’s Office of Inspector General interviewed Heimann in person but did not arrest him, even after seeing him walk, the affidavit said. A month and a half later, Heimann gathered his belongings in a canoe and traveled to a river near the Canadian border on April 19, 2024, and disappeared.
The Maine Warden Service discovered Heimann was not dead after an investigation that included a search with 15 game wardens, along with dozens of civilians, aircraft, watercraft and all-terrain vehicles. His disappearance was ruled suspicious.
Video footage from businesses over the years show Heimann walking without assistance, including after an appointment with the VA that he used a wheelchair to attend and said he was constantly wheelchair bound, according to the affidavit.
The VA has paid approximately $244,075 in disability benefits to Heimann since January 2016, according to court documents.
Heimann will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service while the criminal case progresses. The charge carries a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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