GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Two people have pleaded guilty to claims they conspired to sell medical supplies stolen from a veterans clinic in Battle Creek.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office – Western District of Michigan says a 52-year-old Battle Creek woman, an employee at the Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center, was tasked with ordering medical supplies for veterans.
Starting in 2017, the woman stole 10 boxes of diabetes tests and sold them to a 56-year-old Jerome woman, according to federal attorneys. They say the Jerome woman learned the supplies were stolen but continued to buy them from the Battle Creek woman for years, with which she reportedly trafficked to a Pennsylvania man.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) says the Battle Creek woman confessed to stealing more than 7,500 boxes of test strips, totaling more than $400,000 in losses from the VA’s pharmacy.
“My office takes government theft very seriously,” says U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Thefts from VA medical centers deprive other veterans of needed medical care and resources. My office is dedicated to serving and protecting our nation’s veterans.”
The DOJ credits the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, the VA Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their roles in the investigation.
We’re told the Pennsylvania man faces charges for crimes related to the allegations described above.
