An American fraudster who raided servicemembers’ bank accounts and stole veterans’ benefits with help from an Army insider pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Texas federal case.
Robert Wayne Boling Jr., 45, operated from the Philippines in a scheme that victimized thousands of military-affiliated people, including elderly and disabled veterans, the Justice Department announced.
The operation relied on Fredrick Brown, a civilian medical records administrator for the U.S. Army in South Korea. Brown photographed personal information from a military health-records database and passed it to Boling, prosecutors said.
The stolen data included names, Social Security numbers, military identification numbers and birth dates, DOJ said in its 2021 account of the case.
Boling and his co-conspirators used the information to break into bank and online benefits accounts. A network of money mules in the United States received the stolen funds and helped send a portion to the Philippines.
Trorice Crawford, another participant, admitted in 2019 that he recruited at least 30 money mules. Unauthorized transfers from victims’ accounts typically ranged from $8,000 to $13,000, according to that DOJ announcement.
The conspiracy targeted more than 3,300 people and caused more than $1.5 million in established losses, DOJ reported in 2021. Victims included at least eight general officers. Prosecutors said the scheme targeted disabled veterans because they received larger service-related benefits.
“This defendant and his fellow fraudsters served themselves by stealing from those who selflessly serve our country,” U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas said in Tuesday’s release.
Boling pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each count. His sentencing hearing is January 14, 2027.
Philippine authorities deported Boling to the United States in May 2026 to face the charges. He is the third defendant to plead guilty in the case. A federal judge previously sentenced Brown to 151 months in prison and Crawford to 46 months.
Two other defendants, Jongmin Seok and Allan Albert Kerr, remain fugitives, DOJ said.
In a separate case, two former Dallas VA employees pleaded guilty in 2022 in a $2.9 million embezzlement scheme, The Dallas Express reported.
Provided by Dallas Express
