BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts woman has been sentenced to a month in prison and three years of probation for stealing more than $100,000 in veterans benefits that were intended for her late sister, federal prosecutors said.
Robin Calef, 62, of Brockton, was also ordered by a federal judge in Boston on Tuesday to pay back the money to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston.
Calef’s sister, who was receiving monthly benefits from the VA, died in December 2006 but Calef failed to inform the VA of the death, prosecutors said.
The VA from December 2006 until September 2017 continued to deposit benefits into a joint bank account held by Calef and her sister, authorities said.
According to bank records, Calef made monthly withdrawals of approximately the exact amount of VA benefit funds deposited into the account.
Calef stole approximately $102,289 in VA funds not intended for her, prosecutors said.
She pleaded guilty in November to theft of public funds.
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