Date: 01-08-2024

Case Style:

United States of America v. Darold Maxfield, Jr.

Case Number:

Judge: Brian S. Miller.

Court: The United States Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (Pulaski County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: The United States Attorney’s Office in Little Rock

Defendant's Attorney:

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Description:

Little Rock, Arkansas Criminal Defense Lawyer represented the Defendant charged with Falsifying Disability Claims

A North Little Rock man was sentenced to prison for submitting a falsified disability application to the Veteran’s Administration (VA) and receiving more than $91,000 in disability payments. Darold Maxfield, Jr., 30, was sentenced to four months in federal prison.

This is a case of stolen valor. In October 2018, Maxfield filed for disability benefits from the VA, alleging he sustained psychological trauma after he recovered the remains of a cadet who died while conducting a land navigation exercise at West Point Military Academy. At the time, Maxfield was enrolled at the United States Military Academy Prep School. Maxfield’s VA disability application was approved, and he began receiving $1,567 per month.

The VA was alerted of potential fraud regarding Maxfield’s benefit application in May 2020 after it was discovered that the physician’s signature on Maxfield’s disability benefit questionnaire had been cut and pasted onto Maxfield’s application from another application. Upon further investigation, agents were able to verify that, three days after Maxfield enrolled at the United States Military Academy Prep School, a cadet at West Point Military Academy died during a field training exercise. However, agents found no evidence that Maxfield was anywhere near the proximity where the remains were located; he was not on the land navigation course on the date of the cadet’s death; and the two cadets who did find the dead cadet’s remains stated they were the only two present when the body was located.

“Today, this defendant was held accountable for falsely claiming to be disabled in order to steal taxpayer dollars from a program meant to benefit deserving service-disabled veterans,” said Special Agent in Charge Kris Raper with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s South Central Field Office. “The VA OIG is dedicated to ensuring the integrity of VA’s benefits programs and services. The VA OIG thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts in this case.”

On June 1, 2021, Maxfield was charged in an indictment with theft of public money and making a false statement or representation to a department or agency of the United States. Maxfield pled guilty to the indictment on January 19, 2023. Maxfield was sentenced to four months in prison on each count, to be served concurrently, three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to pay $91,651.70 in restitution.

The case was investigated by the Veterans Affairs – Office of the Inspector General and the Army Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant United States Attorneys J. William Crow and Jana Harris prosecuted the case for the United States.

Outcome: Four months in federal prison

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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