Joseph Smith of New Bedford, Mass., is facing charges in which prosecutors allege he stole a Marine veteran’s disability checks totaling more than $450,000. (Driver’s license image.)
(Tribune News Service) — A New Bedford man is facing multiple criminal charges in connection with a scheme in which prosecutors say he stole more than $450,000 intended for a 20-year veteran of the Marine Corps suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Joseph Smith is charged with one count each of theft of government benefits and conspiracy to steal government benefits, acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua S. Levy’s office announced Friday. Smith is in federal custody on unrelated charges and will appear in federal court in Boston on Tuesday.
In August 2015, shortly after the Marine veteran was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, the Veterans Benefits Administration approved his application for disability benefits, awarding him about $8,300 in monthly payments, according to Levy’s office. The administration began the payments the following month, in September 2015, through monthly checks mailed to the man’s former residence in New Bedford, where he had lived with Smith’s relative and others before he was hospitalized.
Between 2015 and 2020, while the man was hospitalized, prosecutors say Smith and others received the monthly disability checks intended for the man and deposited the money in bank accounts they controlled. Smith is accused of first depositing the checks in an account in his own name and then beginning to deposit them in an account he and others opened in the name of the man the checks were for, according to federal prosecutors.
Shortly after depositing the checks, Smith is accused of withdrawing the money as cash, which he used for personal expenses, federal prosecutors said.
In all, between 2015 and 2020, Smith and others are accused of stealing more than $450,000 in disability benefits intended for the man, Levy’s office said.
Levy called the allegations against Smith “beyond the pale.”
“The immorality exposed by the criminal justice system is, at times, simply stunning,” he said in the statement.
Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division Ketty D. Larco-Ward said “it is difficult to imagine a financial crime more despicable than one alleged to have targeted a vulnerable member of our community.”
If he is convicted on both charges, Smith could face up to 15 years in prison, according to Levy’s office.
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