A member of the Ohio National Guard who was trusted with transferring the remains of veterans who passed away lied about how many trips he made so the state would reimburse him more money.
Ohio Army National Guard Sergeant First Class Jason Edwards would file paperwork saying he performed honorable transfers for deceased veterans in order to get mileage reimbursement from the state, according to an investigation by the Ohio Inspector General. In reality, other members of Edwards’ team performed the transfers.
The report found that Edwards pulled off this type of scam more than 100 times in the southwest region of Ohio.
He pled guilty in Franklin County Common Pleas Court to theft in office and tampering with records.
Edwards was sentenced to five years of community service and must pay nearly $11,000 back to the state.
