Retired VA worker stole furniture donated by Walmart for destitute veterans, feds say

A retired Veterans Affairs worker stole $95,000 in donated home furnishings intended for homeless and destitute veterans, federal prosecutors say.

The 66-year-old man from Buckeye, Arizona, pleaded guilty to theft of government property, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Arizona said in a news release.

A judge on Wednesday, May 25, sentenced the man to five years probation, and he must pay $95,000 in restitution, the release said.

He picked up items donated from a Walmart distribution center in Buckeye to the Veterans Affairs Phoenix Health Care System in a truck owned by the agency, prosecutors said.

But he frequently took the donated furnishings to his own personal storage lockers instead of turning them over to the program to be distributed to veterans in need, the release said.

No contact information was available for his attorneys.

This story was originally published May 26, 2022 at 1:14 PM with the headline "Retired VA worker stole furniture donated by Walmart for destitute veterans, feds say."