BANGOR, Maine — A Bradford man was sentenced Monday to two years of probation in U.S. District Court for lying about his income while receiving benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Angus J. Brasslett Jr., 64, also was ordered by U.S. District Judge John Woodcock to pay a $500 fine and nearly $7,000 in restitution.
Brasslet earned extra money selling scrap metal to at least five different recycling businesses but did not report it to VA officials, according to the prosecution version of events to which he pleaded guilty.
He waived indictment and pleaded guilty to theft of government property on Nov. 22.
Brasslet received a 40 percent disability rating and received VA pension benefits, according to the prosecution version. Court documents do not describe the disability for which he received payments between September 2006 and September 2010.
He faced up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Makes me wonder. Would he have to report the income if he was caught selling off his worldly possessions on ebay? Would they call that running a business and take away his disability for that?
Take your $600.00 a month. If you can’t live off of that, too bad. You lived off $450.00 a month 35 years ago when you served, you can live off 600 now. Don’t even think about making another dollar, soldier!!
All he had to do was tell the truth about his income. Obviously he made quite a bit of money off of scrapping or it wouldn’t have cause any red flags.
Something doesn’t sound right about this story.
If I am not mistaken, a 40% disability does not
prevent you from working or selling anything
for income. Many disabled vets are still able
to work and receive disability until they hit a
certain requirement or %. Then things change.
Yes your right but you can make a certain amount while on disability he has done this for years I know him.
Wouldn’t he just report it on his taxes? I don’t understand, I worked for years with a person who worked in a paper mill full time and who was disabled and on a military pension. He never tried to hide anything.