U.S. Department Of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Western Field Office P.O. Box 241516 Los Angeles, CA 90024 (310) 268-4269
Monday, June 21, 2004
Texas Resident - Sentenced
Douglas J. Carver, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Inspector General, Western Field Office, Los Angeles, CA, announced today SHIRLEY J. ROBERTS was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Carver advised the action resulted from ROBERT’S AND TRACY M. OLIVER’S conviction on charges of Conspiracy, Theft in Connection With Health Care, Mail Fraud and Wire Fraud. Carver stated that the charges resulted from investigative efforts conducted by his Phoenix, Arizona Resident Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The investigation revealed that ROBERTS, while employed by the VA Medical Center Tucson, AZ stole medical insurance reimbursement checks due the VA and provided them to OLIVER who negotiated the checks through her purported business account. Carver added that the scheme, which operated from July 2002 until September 2003, resulted in ROBERTS’ and Oliver’s theft of approximately $718,000 from the VA and $69,500 from Well’s Fargo Bank of New Mexico. ROBERTS was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment, five years probation and ordered to pay restitution totaling $718,087.04. OLIVER was sentenced previously. Assistant United States Attorney Dayle Elieson, Northern District of Texas, Dallas handled the prosecution of this matter.