Louisiana Man Charged with Wire Fraud in Connection with Defrauding Veterans Affairs Out of More Than $4 Million
Louisiana Man Charged with Wire Fraud in Connection with Defrauding Veterans Affairs Out of More Than $4 Million
New Orleans, Louisiana – A Louisiana man has been charged with wire fraud in connection with defrauding Veterans Affairs out of more than $4 million.
On April 13, 2023, United States Attorney Duane A. Evans, announced that Marc Quiroz (“Quiroz ”), resident of Covington, Louisiana, was charged by bill of information on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, with one count of wire fraud.
According to the court documents, Quiroz co-owned and operated a business called VetAttend of Jackson, where he claimed to provide services to Veterans for home aid and assistance.
Quiroz’s co-conspirators, James Thomas Sinyard, Jr., a/k/a Jay Sinyard, and Mary Gigi Sinyard, a/k/a Gigi Sinyard, were charged by bill of information on February 14, 2023.
According to the bill of information, Quiroz submitted falsified affidavits for home aid services that he knew were not provided. Beginning in or around April 2013 and continuing until at least July 2018, Quiroz willfully devised and intended to create a conspiracy to defraud the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (Veterans Affairs). The scheme’s goal was to collect money and property by filing false affidavits and applications to Veterans Affairs on behalf of veterans and their spouses, claiming that VetAttend had provided home care to the veterans when, in reality, it had not. During the conspiracy, Veterans Affairs distributed funds to over 300 veterans and/or their surviving spouses, from whom Quiroz fraudulently diverted funds totaling roughly $4,065,969.18 without the veterans’ knowledge.
If convicted, Quiroz faces a potential term of 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory $100 special assessment charge per count.
“These charges were brought as a result of the hard work of VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) Special Agents who remain vigilant in investigating all who seek to benefit improperly from programs meant to assist deserving veterans,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Patrick Roche of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s South-Central Field Office. “The VA OIG thanks the US Attorney’s Office for their efforts in this joint investigation.”
According to U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans, a bill of information is only a charge, and the defendant’s guilt must be established beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General is looking into the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn McHugh, Financial Crimes Unit.
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