JOHN SUTTON (“SUTTON”), a resident of Mandeville, Louisiana, was charged on June 13, 2023 with one count of wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to the charging document, SUTTON co-owned and operated a company called VetAttend Professional Services, LLC where hepurported to provide services to Veterans for home aid and assistance.
According to the bill of information, SUTTON submitted fraudulent affidavits for home aid services provided, knowing that those services were not actually provided. As part of the scheme to defraud, beginning in or about April 2013 and continuing until at least July 2018, SUTTON devised a scheme and artifice to defraud the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (Veterans Affairs). Through his scheme, SUTTON obtained money and property by submitting false affidavits and applications to Veterans Affairs on behalf of veterans and their spouses, claiming that VetAttend had provided home services to the veterans when, in fact, it had not. During the scheme to defraud, Veterans Affairs issued funds totaling approximately $6.1 million dollars to over 300 veterans and/or their surviving spouses that SUTTON fraudulently appropriated, without the knowledge of the veterans.
If convicted, SUTTON faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans stated that a bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. The prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn McHugh of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Source: Department of Justice