Tenn. woman receives two-year sentence for stealing $364K meant for homeless veterans

A Tennessee woman was sentenced to two years in jail on Tuesday for stealing over $364,000 in funds that were supposed to assist homeless veterans.

Birdie Anderson, 56, passed herself as an advocate for the homeless from 2007 to 2009 and was able to convince the Veterans Affairs Department through the Tennessee charity Next Stage to award her grants, the Air Force Times reported.

Anderson spent some of the money on a homeless shelter, but investigators concluded that most of funds were wasted on local casinos and horse tracks, the Air Force Times reported.

“There is no group as worthy of government assistance as those who have served their country in the military, and have since fallen on hard times,” U.S. Attorney for Tennessee David Rivera said in a statement, the Air Force Times reported. “This defendant’s greed and deception deprived that group of assistance they needed, and as a result they will not receive the benefit of the money she stole and squandered.”