Milton man sentenced for fraudulently obtaining VA benefits

PENSACOLA, Fla. — A Milton man has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison for defrauding government benefit programs of more than $779,000, including disability and Medicare funds.

Kevin Paul McMains, 44, previously pleaded guilty to theft of government money and making false statements to federal agencies.

U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson last week sentenced Mr McMains to 33 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution totaling $779,680 to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Social Security Administration (SSA), and Medicare.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, McMains fraudulently received VA disability benefits for nearly 14 years by submitting false documents and claiming service-connected injuries.

He is said to have falsely asserted he had post-traumatic stress that prevented him from working and fabricated claims of being awarded a Purple Heart. His actions were also reported to have resulted in improper Social Security and Medicare benefits.

“This sentence sends a clear message that veterans who defraud VA by exaggerating their disabilities will be held accountable,” said Dimitriana Nikolov, Special Agent in Charge of the VA Office of Inspector General’s Northwest Field Office.

The case was investigated by the VA Office of the Inspector General, the SSA Office of the Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia Forbes and J. Ryan Love prosecuted it.