Home / Crime and Justice / Ex-VA Employee Faces Prison for Fraud Scheme
Ex-VA Employee Faces Prison for Fraud Scheme
26 Jul
Summary
- Former VA employee accused of faking Coast Guard service.
- Alleged scheme to defraud Veterans Affairs for benefits.
- Trial date set for September on federal fraud charge.
James Edward Davidson II, formerly employed at the Beckley Veterans Affairs Medical Center, is scheduled to stand trial in federal court on September 16, 2026, for a fraud charge. U.S. Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn confirmed the trial date during a July 16, 2026, hearing in the Southern District of West Virginia. Davidson, who worked at the Beckley VA from approximately March 2023 to January 2024, is accused of fabricating documents asserting his service in the U.S. Coast Guard to improperly obtain VA benefits.
Federal court documents reveal that Davidson allegedly devised this scheme between April 1, 2023, and August 30, 2023, with the intent to defraud the Department of Veterans Affairs. The investigation uncovered that on or around June 1, 2023, Davidson used his Login.gov credentials to upload a fraudulent DD-214, falsely indicating honorable service in the Coast Guard from 2007 to 2012, as part of a VA benefits application. Davidson entered a plea of not guilty during his arraignment on July 16, 2026, and was released on a $10,000 bond. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for August 26, 2026.
