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Arkansas Man Indicted For Social Security And Veterans Benefits Fraud

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona, announced that a grand jury at Phoenix, Arizona, returned a five count indictment against James Clarence Edwards, 48, of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The indictment alleges that Edwards fraudulently received $96,323 in Social Security Title II disability benefits and $67,340.72 in Veterans Compensation benefits. From approximately September 1995 through July 2001, the defendant was receiving payments for a disability that he claimed prevented him from working. During that same time period the defendant drove a truck for NKE Enterprises, an Arizona corporation created by his wife at his direction. Edwards was the only driver for NKE and listed himself as an owner/operator when applying for trucking jobs. On medical forms required for commercial drivers, Edwards stated that he had no disabilities. Additionally, during the time that Edwards was working he continued to reaffirm to both the Social Security Administration and the Veterans Administration that he had not returned to work, that his disability had not improved and that the disability prevented him from working.

The federal indictment charges James Clarence Edwards with two counts of violating Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 641, Theft of Public Money, two counts of violating Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 1001(a)(2), False Statements, and one count of violating Title 42 of the United States Code, Section 408(a)(4), Failure to Disclose Information to the Social Security Administration.

A conviction for theft of public money carries a maximum penalty of 10 year(s), a $250,000 fine or both. A conviction for false statements carries a maximum penalty of 5 year(s), a $250,000 fine or both. A conviction for failure to disclose information carries a maximum penalty of 5 year(s), a $250,000 fine or both.

An indictment is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.