Former government employee admits role in ID theft targeting thousands of military service members and veterans
SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – A Las Vegas man has admitted he participated in a multi-million-dollar identity-theft scheme targeting thousands of military service members.
Thirty-eight-year-old Fredrick Brown, a former civilian medical records administrator for the U.S. Army’s 65th Medical Brigade, admitted in a federal courtroom Tuesday in San Antonio that he stole personal identifying information from thousands of military members, including names, social security numbers, DOD ID numbers, dates of birth, and contact information. He tookcomputer screen shots while he was logged into the Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application.
Brown further admitted providing the information to Robert Wayne Boling, Jr., a U.S. citizen living in the Philippines. Prosecutors say Boling, Allan Albert Kerr and Jongmin Seok used the information to access Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs benefits sites and steal millions of dollars. They cleaned out bank accounts and ripped off veterans’ benefits payments.
Prosecutors say Boling then worked with Trorice Crawford to recruit individuals in the United States who would allow the use of their bank accounts for the deposit of stolen funds. That money would then be wired to the defendants and others.
Brown is scheduled to be sentenced in February in a federal court in San Antonio. Boling, Kerr, Crawford and Seok are charged with several counts of conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Crawford remains in federal custody pending resolution of his case. Boling, Kerr and Seok are in custody in the Philippines awaiting transfer to the Western District of Texas.
The Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs are working with the Department of Justice to notify and provide resources to the thousands of victims.