BANGOR, Maine — A veteran from Wayne was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court to two years of probation for illegally receiving more than $50,000 in veterans benefits while holding down a job.
Lawrence A. Stewart, 48, also was ordered to pay an $8,000 fine and $53,852 in restitution, according to a press release issued by the U.S. attorney’s office.
“By taking money you were not entitled to, you took it from the sole agency whose purpose it is to serve veterans,” U.S. District Judge John Woodcock told Stewart before imposing the sentence, the release said.
Stewart pleaded guilty in April to theft of public money.
By pleading guilty, Stewart admitted that from about October 2011 until January 2015, he received additional disability compensation from the Veterans Administration based on his unemployable status when he was, in fact, gainfully employed, according to a previously published report.
Stewart underreported his employment and the income he had received, according to court documents.
He faced up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He also could be ordered to pay restitution.