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Thousands of U.S. Service Members and Veterans Targeted in International Fraud Scheme
An international identity-theft operation allegedly stole millions of dollars from U.S. service members and veterans over five years. One victim, identified as a master sergeant reportedly lost more than $40,000 in less than 10 days, as a key defendant has now pleaded guilty.
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Thousands of U.S. service members and veterans were targeted in an international fraud scheme that used stolen personal information to access their financial accounts. On October 20, Robert Wayne Boling Jr., 45, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges connected to the operation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The San Antonio Express-News reported that one victim, identified in court records as a master sergeant, lost more than $40,000 through a series of transfers in less than 10 days. The report does not identify the victim or establish whether the individual was on active duty or retired. The DOJ’s announcement does not include this specific account or loss amount.
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According to the DOJ, the broader scheme involved stolen personally identifiable information used to compromise bank accounts and online government-affiliated benefits accounts belonging to service members and veterans.
One of Boling’s co-conspirators, Fredrick Brown, worked as a civilian medical records administrator for the U.S. Army in South Korea. Prosecutors said Brown photographed personal information belonging to thousands of military-affiliated individuals and provided it to Boling and other co-conspirators.
The operation also relied on money mules in the United States who received stolen funds through bank accounts under their control. Some of the money was then transferred to the Philippines, the DOJ said.
The victims included elderly and disabled veterans, as well as active service members. Boling, a U.S. citizen who had been based in the Philippines, was deported to the United States in May 2026 to face charges.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 14, 2027, and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count. The maximum penalties are not a prediction of his actual sentence.
Two other defendants, Brown and Trorice Crawford, previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 151 months and 46 months in prison, respectively. Two additional co-conspirators, Allan Albert Kerr and Jongmin Seok, remain fugitives, according to the DOJ.
The case was investigated by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, with assistance from U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Veterans Benefits Administration.
Editor’s Note: The details about the master sergeant’s reported financial loss come from the San Antonio Express-News. The DOJ’s October 20, 2026, announcement confirms Boling’s guilty plea and outlines the wider scheme.
