U.S. Department of Justice Jeffrey A. Taylor United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Judiciary Center 555 4th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530 PRESS RELEASE   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   For Information, Contact Public Affairs Channing Phillips (202) 514-6933 Monday December 4, 2006

Local man who stole $99,999.10 from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs sentenced to jail

Washington, D.C. - U.S. District Judge James Robertson today sentenced a local man, Gregory Hurt, to time served plus eight days in jail, ninety days in an in-patient drug treatment center, three years of supervised release and $99,999.10 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor announced. Hurt, of Mt. Rainer, Maryland, was convicted on June 15, 2006, following a jury trial on one count of theft of government property for stealing $99,999.10 from the VA.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Hurt received a one-time benefits award of $234,360.10 from the VA in December 2002. In January and February 2003, the VA issued three checks to Hurt totaling $234,360.10. On July 31, 2003, Hurt went to the VA's regional office in Washington, D.C. and falsely stated that he had not received one of the three checks previously issued in the amount of $99,999.10. Shortly thereafter, the VA erroneously issued a fourth check to Hurt in the amount of $99,999.10. In August 2003, the VA informed Hurt by letter that it had erroneously issued the fourth check to the defendant based on his statement that he had not received one of the checks in the amount of $99,999.10. In the letter, the VA also demanded that Hurt return the $99,999.10. Rather than return the money, Hurt transferred the proceeds out of his existing bank account and into a new account unknown to the VA. Hurt has been incarcerated since October 16, 2006, for violating the terms of his post-trial release conditions.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Taylor commended the outstanding efforts of Resident Agent in Charge Kim Lampkins of the VA, Office of the Inspector General; and Special Agents Andrew Sekala and Eric Hathaway of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Finally, he thanked former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeannie S. Rhee and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael K. Atkinson, who prosecuted the case.