The grimy details of a federal crime have emerged, as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer John Eric Weaver and his wife, Joy Weaver, were slammed with charges for conspiracy to defraud the United States over education reimbursement claims.
According to the Department of Justice, the Weavers are accused of filing false claims for educational expenses, amounting to more than $8,000. The couple has been arraigned in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Washington, with John Weaver having been placed on paid administrative leave since the investigation began.
U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan revealed that Joy Weaver concocted fictitious invoices for their children’s school tuition, inflating the costs to twice the actual amount. Her husband then submitted these false documents to the CBP Office of Administration. The fraud was uncovered in June 2010 when a financial program specialist queried the actual costs with the school, leading to an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Professional Responsibility.
The charges against the Weavers are merely allegations at this stage, and both parties maintain their innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court. If convicted, they face up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to file a false claim.
This case has been meticulously investigated by ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, with assistance from ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, CBP’s Office of Internal Affairs, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Marci Ellsworth is handling the prosecution.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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