A West Virginia woman has pleaded guilty to stealing over $175,000 from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
Karen Shea Radford, 47, of Princeton, pleaded guilty to theft of government money.
Radford admitted to stealing $175,731.31 from a United States Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare benefits program through a false billing scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from June 29, 2017, through on or about August 14, 2023, Radford executed the fraud scheme while an owner of Healthcare Therapy Services LLC (HCTS), doing business as Medical Massage Therapy in Princeton.
Radford submitted false bills to the Civilian Health and Medical Program of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) during the time period for medical services not rendered.
As part of her guilty plea, Radford admitted that HCTS provided massage services to two CHAMPVA beneficiaries once a week between June 29, 2017, and August 14, 2023, but billed the program $83,619.67 for one of these beneficiaries and $81,323.16 for the other by falsely claiming they received massages multiple days per week including weekends.
Radford further admitted that she falsely billed CHAMPVA $10,695.29 for a third beneficiary between May 21, 2018, and May 16, 2022, and $93.19 for a fourth beneficiary between October 4, 2017, and October 11, 2017, all for services never performed.
Mercer County Woman Pleads Guilty to $175,731.31 Fraud Scheme Targeting Federal Veterans Health Care Benefitshttps://t.co/JacI0LpbnA#NationalFraudEnforcementDivision
— U.S. Attorney SDWV (@SDWVnews) June 17, 2026
Radford is scheduled to be sentenced on October 5, 2025, 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. Radford also owes $175,731.31 in restitution.
6258a453-b4ce-459f-ab14-d4bc34dc6dc0 by scott.mcclallen
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) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer D. Gordon 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.