Baltimore County man sentenced after pretending to be paralyzed to receive VA benefits

BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore County man who lied about needing a wheelchair for a service-related injury was sentenced to home confinement after prosecutors said he fraudulently obtained more than $750,000 in disability benefits.

William Rich, 44, of Windsor Mill, was found guilty in June of wire fraud and theft of government property following a four-day trial.

Rich, who served in the Army from 1998 to 2007, was temporarily paralyzed after being injured in a bombing in Baqubah, Iraq, in 2005, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland.

Prosecutors said Rich made substantial progress toward recovery and was no longer paralyzed six weeks after the injury.

Despite the improvement in his condition, Rich was granted permanent disability from the VA largely based on an exam conducted in October 2007, where he reported paralysis in his lower extremities and said that he was confined to a wheelchair, according to the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In 2018, the VA Office of Inspector General launched an investigation into Rich after learning that his conduct was inconsistent with his purported physical condition.

Investigators eventually gathered video surveillance footage that showed Rich walking, going up and down stairs, entering and exiting vehicles, lifting, bending, and carrying items without any visible limitation or assistance of a wheelchair, prosecutors said.

The only time agents observed Rich using a wheelchair was when he attended VA medical appointments.

Prosecutors said Rich also received more than $8,000 in monthly disability benefits from the VA, as well as grants for a specially adapted vehicle and specially adapted housing.

Rich used the funds granted for the purchase of a specially adapted vehicle to buy a BMW 645ci luxury sports coupe, according to the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Rich was sentenced to one year of home confinement, followed by two years of supervised release.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

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