A man on the Mississippi Gulf Coast has pled guilty to stealing personal protective equipment (PPE) and other equipment from the Biloxi VA for more than a decade.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 54-year-old Chad Jacob admitted to stealing PPE, electronics, and medical equipment while working as the Assistant Chief of Supply Chain Management for the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System. Since 2009, Jacob has been stealing items, such as iPads and iPhones, and selling them at local pawn shops and on his personal Ebay account.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Jacob began stealing N-95 masks and selling them at inflated prices. In total, Jacob made more than $50,000 selling the stolen N-95 masks and over $9,000 selling stolen iPads and iPhones.
“Since the onset of the pandemic, the VA Office of Inspector General has aggressively investigated the increasing and evolving threat posed by COVID-19-related fraud and criminal activity. Today’s guilty plea demonstrates our ongoing work to stop those who take advantage of public health emergencies to perpetrate such frauds,” VA OIG Special Agent in Charge Breen said.
Jacob is scheduled to be sentenced on December 7, 2021 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
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