A Fort Myers woman is under indictment for the alleged theft of $300,000 from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The unsealed indictment charges Laurie Ann Roszelle, 65, with one count of wire fraud. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
The indictment also notifies Roszelle that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture in the amount of $338,364.66, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.
According to the indictment, for nearly 19 years after her mother’s death in 2005, Roszelle schemed to wrongfully receive VA benefits intended for her mother.
To effectuate the scheme, Roszelle falsified her mother’s signature in responding to VA correspondence and represented, in telephone and in-person interviews with the VA, that her mother was still alive years after her mother’s death.
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