Former Marine admits to receiving $100,000 through false housing claims
A former Marine gunnery sergeant has pleaded guilty in federal court to receiving nearly $100,000 by submitting false requests for rental housing reimbursement.
Devin Pierre Alario, 40, of Temecula, was stationed at Camp Pendleton from mid-2009 to late 2011 when he inflated the amount that he was paying for rent, including submitting the names of a fictitious landlord and a phony lease agreement, according to court documents.
Under a plea agreement, Alario has agreed to pay full restitution to the Marine Corps. Federal prosecutors will ask for a prison sentence when Alario is sentenced July 25.
“We will aggressively prosecute anyone who siphons much-needed taxpayer funds from the nation’s armed forces,” said U.S. Atty. Laura Duffy.
Alario pleaded guilty to one felony count of making false claims. The maximum penalty is five years in prison.
Alario took advantage of the military rules allowing reservists to receive housing reimbursements while called into active duty, according to court documents.
His false claims sought rental reimbursement up to $3,800 a month--for a total of $95,013.10, prosecutors said.
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