A prisoner in West Virginia pleaded guilty earlier this week to stealing Veterans Affairs benefits for eight years.
Zachary Hess Dawson, 39, an inmate at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex, pleaded guilty to theft of public money. Dawson admitted that he fraudulently obtained $354,813.98 in United States Department of Veterans Affairs benefits.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Dawson received the recurring benefits beginning on or about January 12, 2017, and continuing to on or about September 30, 2025.
As part of his guilty plea, Dawson admitted that he obtained the benefits fraudulently by falsely claiming that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from his U.S. Army service in Afghanistan during the summer of 2009. Dawson further admitted that he knew he was not eligible for the benefits, and knowingly and willfully made false statements to VA and Veterans Benefits Administration officials to obtain them.
Holding individuals accountable: Zachary Hess Dawson, an inmate at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex in Valley, West Virginia, admitted to fraudulently obtaining more than $300,000 in VA benefits. Read about this case and others https://t.co/5KuR2OhZhP@WHFraudTF pic.twitter.com/1zSyShEqZb
— Veterans Affairs OIG (@VetAffairsOIG) September 4, 2026
Dawson is scheduled to be sentenced on January 7, 2027, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
Dawson also owes $354,813.98 in restitution.
Today, a state inmate pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing over $350k in VA benefits.
— Colin M. McDonald (@AAGMcDonald) September 3, 2026
Job well done @SDWVnews and @VetAffairsOIG. https://t.co/clTHG2XOpL
Dawson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in November 2024 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in Greenbrier County Circuit Court in the fatal Thanksgiving 2022 beating of his wife in Alderson.
A West Virginia inmate is facing up to a decade in prison after stealing more than $350,000 in veteran benefits, federal prosecutors said.https://t.co/E67paypzdR
— WCHS-TV (@wchstv) September 3, 2026
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks is prosecuting the case.
On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within federal benefit programs.
Inmate Serving Life Sentence for Murder Pleads Guilty to Stealing $354,813.98 in Veterans Benefitshttps://t.co/e1ekxz4bVT
— U.S. Attorney SDWV (@SDWVnews) September 2, 2026
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