GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – In a stunning blow against corruption within the VA system, twin sisters Monika D. Schorer and Teresa D. Schorer of Jonesborough were sentenced on July 23, 2025. Each was handed an eight-month prison term and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for their roles in a bribery scheme that defrauded the VA Medical Center in Mountain Home.
The sisters, who worked at the VA facility, admitted to taking cash bribes from surgical sales reps Eric S. Smith and Landon Chester. The bribes allowed Smith and Chester to overbill the VA for unnecessary medical items. Monika Schorer also issued a fake letter from the VA Medical Center to thwart the investigation.
The sisters’ fraudulent activities included setting up Four Corners Medical Supply and Equipment LLC, a company with VA vendor status that Teresa Schorer had helped secure. They concealed their arrangement by filing false disclosures on Office of Government Ethics Forms 450 and alerted Smith and Chester when their supervisor started asking questions.
In addition to the prison term and fine, each sister must make individual restitution of $213,154.50 to the VA. This sentence follows Eric S. Smith’s previous conviction, where he was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and ordered to pay $120,433.45 in restitution.
Special Agent in Charge Elisa Pellegrini of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General emphasized that the Schorers were entrusted to serve veterans but instead used their positions for personal gain, eroding public trust.
The investigation has led to a total recovery of $852,598 through restitution and forfeited bank accounts. The sentences send a clear message that those who misuse their positions in government will be held accountable.
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- Kalena Winston Pleads Guilty to $70K Tax Fraud Scheme · Kansas
- James Cope Pleads Guilty to Insider Trading Scheme · Tennessee
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Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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