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Table of Contents

Texas Man Convicted of Stealing $72M from VA

Richardson, TX – Jonathan Dean Davis, the 43-year-old owner of Retail Ready Career Center, was found guilty of bilking the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs out of $72,480,225.03 in tuition payments for veterans’ student tuitions.

Judge Brantley Starr ruled that Davis will forfeit the entire amount, including $4,748,225.03 in cash, numerous luxury vehicles, including a Lamborghini, a Ferrari, a Bentley, two Mercedes-Benzes, and a BMW, and real estate in Dallas and Utah worth over $2,500,000.

Davis was found guilty of seven counts of wire fraud and four counts of money laundering following a six-day trial in April. Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah said, “Neither the American taxpayer nor the Court recognizes such a distinction. We are proud to say that $72 million in fraudulently-obtained money is headed back into U.S. coffers.”

The scam began in 2014 when Davis marketed Retail Ready’s six-week HVAC training course to veterans. He charged $18,000 to $21,000 per student for the course, which was covered by the Veteran’s Educational Assistance Act of 2008, also known as the post-9/11 GI Bill. However, Davis knew he couldn’t meet the requirements for prior approvals from the Texas Workforce Commission and the Texas Veterans Commission, so he repeatedly lied and concealed information from these agencies.

Mr. Davis assured the TWC that he was not subject to any civil actions, when, in fact, he was facing numerous civil judgments over unpaid debts. He also told the TWC that he was not facing any criminal charges, when, in fact, he had a pending felony charge for theft of services. He told the TVC that Retail Ready had been operating as a school for two years, when, in fact, the company had only existed for a few months and had never trained any students.

Eventually, based upon Mr. Davis’ lies to the TWC and TVC, the VA accepted Retail Ready’s application, allowing Mr. Davis to charge veterans’ tuition and fees to the VA under the GI Bill. Several veterans testified at trial that they had relied on the Retail Ready’s fraudulently obtained VA endorsement and were so disappointed by the lack of skills they received.

Mr. Davis wrote in an electronic journal that he kept on his computer, which was recovered by federal agents, “Several decisions lie ahead that will ultimately make the difference if I succeed or if I fail. More gut-wrenching conversations, more humiliating experiences, more lying is in order.”