SAVANNAH, Ga. – A 55-year-old St. Marys, Georgia, dive shop operator pleaded guilty to lying to investigators in connection with a scheme to defraud the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Justice announced last week.
Theresa Whitlock faces up to five years in prison.
Whitlock operated Diver’s Den and served as a school certifying official, federal prosecutors said.
The DOJ said Whitlock provided false information to the VA about Diver’s Den’s diving programs and submitted claims to the VA for tuition payments totaling more than $1.1 million. As part of any restitution, Whitlock agreed to forfeit $64,260.30 seized from Diver’s Den’s bank accounts.
Whitlock was one of five people affiliated with Georgia dive shops who admitted submitting false claims to the VA through scuba classes targeting military veterans education benefits.
Collectively, the five defendants are responsible for defrauding more than $4 million from VA education benefits, prosecutors said. All five entered guilty pleas in U.S. District Court.
“The scope of the fraud uncovered in this investigation is stunning, particularly when you consider the scheme siphoned funds intended for providing legitimate education assistance to former service members,” said U.S. Attorney David H. Estes. “We applaud the work of the VA Office of Inspector General in identifying and halting this fraud.”
As described in court documents, the five defendants worked in various capacities with their businesses and...
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