Phenix City woman accused of stealing $151K in VA money intended for her uncle pleads
The niece of a veteran has plead guilty to stealing at least $151,000 of Veterans Affairs benefits intended for her uncle, federal officials said.
Mende Leone, 37, pleaded guilty to misappropriation of a federal benefit by a fiduciary in federal court Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Sandra Stewart announced in a news release.
Leone resided in Phenix City during the time of the crime, the release said.
“Stealing benefits from a veteran is a despicable crime,” Stewart said in the release. “Our country owes a debt to all service members for their sacrifice and we must ensure that they are protected from those that would take advantage of them for personal gain.”
According to court records, Leone was the fiduciary of her uncle when she was notified by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs that her uncle would receive a large retroactive amount of payments from the agency in late 2014. A short time after making these payments, the VA received a tip that large transfers were being made from the veteran’s payment account.
Upon further investigation, the VA discovered that from March to May 2015, Leone wrote several checks from the veteran’s account made payable to her mother, Shirley Ann Moreman, the veteran’s sister. Moreman either cashed or deposited the checks into her personal account and then almost immediately withdrew most of the money.
Both Leone and Moreman were indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2020 for their roles in the scheme. Moreman died in February 2021 before her case could be brought to trial.
Leone will be scheduled for a sentencing hearing where she faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, as well as monetary penalties and restitution.
