Bridgette L. Davidson, Defrauding Department of Veterans Affairs, Georgia 2009

A former social worker at the Atlanta VA Medical Center was sentenced to three years in prison for her role in a scheme to defraud the United States of her honest services in connection with finding suitable housing and daily care for mentally ill and disabled military veterans.

Bridgette L. Davidson, 39, was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and to serve three years of supervised release following her release from prison.

The scheme, which took place from September 2000 through September 2002, involved Davidson and her ex-boyfriend, Darrick O. Frazier, 35, secretly renting a home in Marietta, Ga., to house the mentally ill and disabled military veterans in exchange for monthly federal subsidy payments.

Davidson falsely represented to VA officials and to the military veterans' legal guardians and custodians that the facility was an independently-owned personal care home suitable to house and care for the veterans.

The VA launched an internal investigation into Davidson's connection to the facility after a veteran died in the home in April 2002. When interviewed under oath by VA officials, Davidson falsely denied that she had any ownership or financial interest in the personal care home.

Davidson was found guilty of four counts of honest services mail fraud, one count of criminal conflict of interest, and one count of making a false statement to VA officials investigating the fraudulent scheme. She was sentenced on September 2, 2008.

Frazier, who pleaded guilty to one count of honest services mail fraud, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and ordered to pay $20,200 in restitution.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/former-social-worker-sentenced-role-scheme-defraud-department-veterans-affairs-and