Antrim Man Jailed for $662,000 Veterans Benefits Scam

Antrim man, Christopher Stultz, 49, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release for faking a mobility impairment to obtain $662,871.77 in veteran’s disability benefits.

U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announced Stultz’s sentence in federal court, stating this was ‘one of the most egregious benefits fraud cases ever prosecuted in this state.’

Stultz, a U.S. Navy veteran, joined the military in 1995 and was injured the following year after falling off a horse. He was initially rated as partly disabled by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), but in 2003 began falsely claiming that he could no longer use both his feet.

The VA rated the defendant as 100% disabled, increasing his monthly benefits. In addition, because the VA believed Stultz was unable to use his feet, he was also awarded almost $190,000 in funding through the VA’s Automobile Adaptive Equipment program to purchase special cars and vehicle adaptations designed to help mobility-impaired veterans. Stultz never used the special cars and instead sold them for cash.

Investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of the Inspector General, led to Stultz being surveilled on multiple occasions. He was recorded walking without impairment on October 28, 2021, and October 3, 2022, contradicting his claims of being 100% disabled.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen prosecuted the case. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph N. Laplante ordered Stultz to pay $662,871.77 in restitution in addition to his prison sentence. Stultz pleaded guilty to making false statements on January 25, 2024.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office Special Agent in Charge, Christopher Algieri, stated that today’s sentencing ‘holds this defendant accountable for faking injuries that resulted in him receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in VA disability compensation that he did not deserve.’

The VA OIG is committed to investigating anyone who exploits these critical programs for financial gain, Algieri added.