A former Philadelphia VA hospital employee was sentenced to two years in prison for stealing more than $487,000 from the hospital.
Bruce Minor, 46, of Philadelphia, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $462,256 in restitution and forfeit the same amount for embezzling money from his former employer, the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, according to a Sept. 22 Justice Department news release.
The defendant pleaded guilty in May 2022 to one count of theft of government funds. The charge stemmed from the theft of more than $487,000 in Veterans Affairs travel reimbursement funds, which he administered. To perpetuate the theft, Mr. Minor created fraudulent travel reimbursement claims in the names of at least three other VA hospital employees. He then diverted the fraudulently obtained funds into bank accounts he controlled.
According to court documents, the defendant admitted to stealing about $13,000 in travel funds in an email to Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center management. However, a subsequent investigation showed that he stole more than $487,000 between December 2015 and September 2019.