A former contractor for the Department of Veterans Affairs will face federal charges that he stole veterans’ personal information and sold it to tax scammers, government prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Willie Streater was hired to shred sensitive documents at a VA hospital in Tampa, Florida, but instead stole the information and sold it to others who used the data to steal tax refunds and file fraudulent tax returns, the Justice Department said.
If convicted, Mr. Streater could face up to five decades in prison. Federal officials released an indictment Tuesday with the charges they are bringing against the defendant, and there will still be a trial.
The Justice Department is also seeking more than $1 million in restitution for money they said Mr. Streater and his colleagues made from of the scams.
• Phillip Swarts can be reached at pswarts@washingtontimes.com.
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