Nicholas Ash, False Statements, Rhode Island 2024
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A federal complaint has been filed against Nicholas Ash, 38, of Providence, for allegedly making false statements to obtain veterans' healthcare benefits. The charges were announced by United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
The alleged scheme involved Ash claiming to a Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center doctor that he suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of a combat deployment to Iraq/Middle East. Ash claimed the deployment caused him to experience a blast from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), resulting in seizures. However, investigators found that Ash had no record of being deployed outside the United States.
According to court documents, Ash served in the U.S. Army from July 2005 to September 2007. He was assigned to Schofield Barracks in Hawaii and served as a motor transport operator. Ash was hospitalized and placed on non-deployable status due to an unrelated medical issue, rendering him unfit for deployment.
When confronted with these facts by the VA doctor and later by a federal agent, Ash claimed to have been injured after his discharge from the Army. He alleged that the injury occurred as a result of an IED blast while working as a private military contractor overseas. However, investigators found no record of Ash working as a private contractor.
Ash presented a letter to the physician, written by an Army veteran who served in the Middle East, claiming to know of Ash's tour of duty in Iraq. The veteran later told an investigator that he did not meet Ash until 2015 or 2017 and wrote the letter at Ash's request.
Ash made an initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate on Thursday and was released on unsecured bond. A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ronald R. Gendron. The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, and assisted by the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Services, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Police Service.
Key Facts
- State: Rhode Island
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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