ATLANTA – William Dorsey, Jr., has been arraigned for embezzling over $200,000 from his father’s beneficiary account funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA.)
“We must be diligent in protecting our elderly citizens, especially our veterans,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “We are focused on preventing and punishing the exploitation and abuse of our most vulnerable citizens.”
“Fiduciaries assume a solemn duty to care for veterans who served their country through their military service and now are unable to care for themselves. The VA Office of Inspector General is dedicated to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure that any fiduciary who embezzles VA funds intended to provide necessary support to our nation’s disabled veterans is held responsible,” said David Spilker, Special Agent in Charge, VA Office of Inspector General.
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: On May 10, 2010, William Dorsey, Jr., signed a fiduciary agreement agreeing to manage the benefit payments provided by the VA to his father, William Dorsey Sr., a 67-year-old disabled Vietnam veteran diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia. According to medical records from the secure medical center where he resides, William Dorsey, Sr., is wheel-chair bound, cannot communicate, and requires total assistance with his daily activities.
As part of the fiduciary agreement, Dorsey, Jr., agreed to spend the VA benefit funds only for his father’s daily needs, to never comingle funds, to never withdraw cash from the account, and to keep accurate records and receipts. However, by the time he was removed as fiduciary seven years later in May 2017, banking records indicate all of these conditions had been violated, including the direct transfer of money from his father’s account to his own personal account. According to a financial analysis conducted by the VA, over $200,000 remains unaccounted for.
During this same time period, nursing staff reported that Dorsey, Sr., only needed approximately $50-$100 to cover expenses each month, and that William Dorsey, Jr., commonly provided items of inferior quality, such as used oversized clothing and half empty bottles of shampoo. According to one social worker supervisor, the attending nurses felt compelled on occasion to buy “basic necessities” for Dorsey, Sr., out of their own pocket.
William Dorsey, Jr., 42, of Atlanta, Georgia, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan J. Baverman. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General, Criminal Investigations Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott McAfee is prosecuting the case.
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