DETROIT – Federal investigators are on the hunt for a woman they said was ripping off the people who serve our country.
The U.S. Veteran Affairs Criminal Investigation Division is trying to figure out how the woman stole nearly $100,000 from taxpayers and how she cashed in on a dead veteran.
Officials said the woman stole the identity of a dead veteran. Police don't know who the woman is or how she gained access to the veteran's money. But the better question is -- how did she rip off the system for so many years?
As veterans gather to reflect on their time serving our country, world trickled out about a woman wanted by criminal investigators.
The investigation shows the woman withdrew $1,000 every month from a dead veteran's checking account. It went on from 2007 to December 2014. In the end, $93,000 was taken.
"There are 20 vets that die every day that deserve that money," Navy veteran Tom Suchan said.
"You tell me what $93,000 could have done," Army veteran Jeff Klacelny said.
Investigators caught an image of the woman getting money from the account, but it was seven years after the veteran had died.
"She's smart, but she (isn't) that smart," Suchan said. "Somebody is helping her."
The veteran last lived at an address on West Grand Avenue. The vet's family told investigators they don't know her and she's not related to him.
It's unclear how she gained access to the account. More importantly, it's unclear why the government didn't stop payments sooner, wasting tax dollars.
"I can't believe she got away with it that long," Army vet Jerry Suchan said. "She hasn't been caught. She's still out there."
Investigators said the woman was last spotted taking money from a Comerica Bank ATM on Detroit's west side. She is believed to have used ATMs across Metro Detroit, but mostly Comerica Bank branches.
"(I) don't understand," Tom Suchan said. "I want to know, does this happen more than we know?"
Anyone who can help investigators is asked to call 269-223-6120.
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