MILTON, Florida — Kevin Paul McMains, a 44-year-old former Army veteran from Milton, Florida, has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for defrauding the U.S. government of over $779,000 in disability benefits. McMains, who pled guilty to theft of government money and making false statements to federal agencies, was sentenced on January 23, 2025, by the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, Jason R. Coody.
McMains unlawfully collected disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for nearly 14 years. His fraudulent claims included fabricated documents and false statements about service-related injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which he claimed rendered him incapable of working or performing daily activities. McMains also falsely claimed he was awarded a Purple Heart to strengthen his fraudulent benefits applications.
In addition to the VA benefits, McMains received over $357,000 in Social Security disability benefits and $43,000 in Medicare coverage, all of which he was not entitled to. The total fraudulent amount exceeded $1.1 million.
“This sentence sends a strong message that veterans who defraud VA and other government programs will be held accountable,” said Dimitriana Nikolov, Special Agent in Charge of the VA Office of Inspector General’s Northwest Field Office. McMains has been ordered to pay restitution for the full amount of the fraud, including $357,847.80 to the Social Security Administration and $43,451.56 to Medicare.
McMains will serve two years of supervised release following his prison sentence. The case was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
