A North Carolina man has been arraigned on federal charges alleging that he used false dependent claims to obtain more than $42,000 in disability compensation from the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
Alexander Gene Williams appeared in federal court in Charlotte on 12 November following his arrest on 28 October. The indictment charges theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft. Williams has not entered a guilty plea, and the allegations remain to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
Prosecutors say Williams began receiving VA disability benefits in 2022 and was awarded additional compensation for three dependent children. Between October 2023 and April 2026, he allegedly submitted at least 17 further applications naming children who were not his dependants and, in some cases, did not exist.
The indictment also alleges that some applications used Social Security numbers assigned to real people. The government calculates that Williams received about $42,266 to which he was not entitled and attempted to obtain additional sums.
The theft count carries a statutory maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment. Aggravated identity theft carries a two-year term that must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed. Those figures describe the available penalties, not a predicted outcome; sentencing would arise only after a conviction and would be determined by the court.
The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General investigated the case. A special assistant US attorney is prosecuting it in the Western District of North Carolina.
The charges and procedural posture are described in the US Attorney’s Office notice.
