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The Maui News
A Maui man was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in federal prison for the theft of thousands of dollars in veterans benefits he received by falsely claiming he suffered from combat-related injuries and trauma.
Cody Joslin, 32, pleaded guilty last year in U.S. District Court in Honolulu to receiving U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits that he wasn't entitled to from May 2013 to June 2017.
"The VA provides valuable services to the men and women who serve this country, but like all government agencies, it is susceptible to abuse by dishonest people," said Kenji Price, U.S. attorney for the District of Hawaii. "Our office will continue to investigate and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those who use deception to obtain vital resources that should rightfully go to veterans who are truly in need."
According to court documents and information presented in court, Joslin was in the U.S. Army for about nine months and never served in a combat zone or overseas. But he submitted paperwork to the VA claiming that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and tinnitus as a result of multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"To support these claims, he fabricated stories about engaging in active combat, and about witnessing combat-related deaths of friends, and injuries from rocket-propelled grenades," according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's office in Honolulu.
Joslin also submitted fake military certifications purporting to show that he received certain combat awards, according to the news release. He bought the certifications online from a veteran who previously had been convicted of possession and sale of counterfeit U.S. documents, according to the news release.
In sentencing Joslin, U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright said Joslin had engaged in "gross abuse" of the VA system by claiming he was a "war hero" when he wasn't. Seabright called Joslin's conduct "reprehensible on many levels."
Joslin was ordered to pay $48,595 in restitution to the VA.
The case was investigated by the VA Office of the Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Perlmutter.