Tracy Marler, Stealing Veterans Benefits, LA 2024

A federal jury in Alexandria, Louisiana, convicted 51-year-old Tracy Marler of Ball, La., of stealing $100,610.57 in Veterans Affairs benefits from a deceased woman’s bank account. The verdict, delivered after just 20 minutes of deliberation, marks the end of a trial that exposed years of calculated deception.

Marler was found guilty of one count of theft of government property. From February 25, 2008, the day the woman died, until April 30, 2014, he systematically withdrew funds from a joint account tied to VA benefits meant for a widow of a U.S. armed forces veteran. Those payments continued after her death—payments Marler knew he had no legal right to collect.

The woman had been receiving the benefits on behalf of her late husband, a military veteran. Marler, who was not a relative, had been a close friend and provided care—running errands, managing finances, and maintaining her home. That trust gave him access. And when she died, he didn’t walk away. He stayed—and kept cashing checks.

U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell presided over the one-day trial, during which prosecutors laid out a clear trail of withdrawals and continued acceptance of federal funds long after the beneficiary’s death. The VA-Office of Inspector General led the investigation, uncovering the timeline and financial paper trail that sealed Marler’s fate.

Now, Marler faces up to 10 years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, full restitution, and a potential fine of $250,000. The system paid him for six years. Now, he’ll answer for every dollar.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 17, 2017. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown prosecuted the case on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana.