What should my wondering eyes set upon in this morning’s fishwrap? Why, yet another diatribe about vA personnel scamming the system. Times are hard in this new economic dilemma we find ourselves in. Apparently it is breeding a new paradigm among those grossly under-paid employees among the lower echelon of the vA. How sad that they would choose a life of crime over voting with their feet to find a new job with a higher rate of remuneration. Continue, gentle reader.

The Tacoma News Tribune. page A4, /Wednesday, June 20th, 2012:

Two Veterans  Affairs employees, including a Kent man,were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of of submitting fraudulent claims totaling more than $100,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Keischjuan Daniels, 32, of Kent and Nick Hall, 46, of Seattle worked as travel clerks for the VHA in Seattle, processing veterans’ travel  reimbursements to medical appointments.

Prosecutors allege the men recruited five veterans to submit phony vouchers for appointments in eastern Washington and Oregon between January 2011 and May.

The veterans who were given fraudulent payments were charged with conspiracy. Charged were Montez Cornelius of Federal Way; Terazze Taylor of Richland; Timmy Joe Taylor of West Seattle; William Thornton of Normandy Park and Aaron Adams whose hometown was not listed.

If convicted on all charges, Daniels and Hall face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

How sad. Everyone knows stealing from the government is the worst entity to defraud. Their prosecutorial assets are bottomless (and legend). The pilot I flew with in Laos had one bit of sage advice I have never discarded. Any conspiracy involving more than one person is doomed from the outset. Start with two disgruntled vA employees and stir in a cast of five disabled rocket scientist Veterans. What you have is a recipe for disaster. $100,000.00 dollars? A mere pittance in the scheme of things. As the vA is both pound and penny foolish, pursuing these fellows was a logical progression of what the IG involves itself in. I certainly don’t mean to denigrate their efforts but it seems they are always in pursuit of some worthy goal-only to abandon it and sail off to a new one. This would be notable if it were an aberration. I doubt it is. Chances are the offenders will be quietly transferred to Salt Lick City, rehired and paid a travel allowance for moving there. vA will brook no embarrassments.

All’s well. Everyone relax. No flies on us. Nevertheless, those five Veterans are in deep doo-doo for going along with this and splitting the take. You can take that to the bank. Unfortunately they won’t.