CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Zachary Hess Dawson, 38, an inmate at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex, pleaded guilty today to theft of public money. Dawson admitted that he fraudulently obtained $354,813.98 in United States Department of Veterans Affairs benefits.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Dawson received the recurring benefits beginning on or about January 12, 2017, and continuing to on or about September 30, 2025. As part of his guilty plea, Dawson admitted that he obtained the benefits fraudulently by falsely claiming that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from his U.S. Army service in Afghanistan during the summer of 2009. Dawson further admitted that he knew he was not eligible for the benefits, and knowingly and willfully made false statements to VA and Veterans Benefits Administration officials to obtain them.
Dawson is scheduled to be sentenced on January 7, 2027, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Dawson also owes $354,813.98 in restitution.
Dawson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in November 2024 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in Greenbrier County Circuit Court in the fatal Thanksgiving 2022 beating of his wife in Alderson.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks is prosecuting the case.
On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within federal benefit programs.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-84.
