U.S. Department Of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Southeast Field Office P.O. Box 446 Bay Pines, FL 33744 (727) 319-1214
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Veteran Sentenced for Defrauding VA Benefit Program
Ronald E. Wilson, Special Agent in Charge, VA Office of Inspector General, Southeast Field Office, announced today that Ronald L. Duvall was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Tampa, FL, for theft of Government funds. The sentencing included a range of penalties pending a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on sentencing guidelines. Duvall was sentenced to incarceration for a minimum of 30 months and a maximum of 37 months, to be followed by a period of 36 months' supervised probation. The court-ordered range of restitution was $237,104 to $641,283. Wilson stated that an investigation by his Southeast Field Office revealed that Duvall feigned blindness in 1973 when he applied for and received disability compensation from VA. During subsequent eye examinations requested by VA, Duvall continued to falsely represent his true physical condition, knowing that such misrepresentation would result in findings that supported his claim of disability, and ultimately provide him unjustified benefits. Kathy Ho, Assistant United States Attorney, Middle District of Florida, Tampa FL, was prosecuting attorney.