U.S. veterans’ benefits stolen in Philippines-based fraud scheme

Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer | San Antponio Express News

An American who operated from the Philippines has admitted his role in an identity-theft scheme that targeted thousands of U.S. servicemembers and veterans, using stolen personal information to raid bank accounts and steal veterans’ benefits.

Robert Wayne Boling Jr., 45, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Court documents showed that Boling received stolen personal information from co-conspirator Fredrick Brown, a civilian medical records administrator for the U.S. Army in South Korea. Brown photographed sensitive records belonging to thousands of military-affiliated individuals and passed the information to Boling.

Boling and his accomplices used the stolen data to break into victims’ bank accounts and online government benefits accounts. Among those targeted were elderly and disabled veterans.

The group also relied on a network of money mules in the United States to receive stolen funds and send a portion of the proceeds to the Philippines.

Philippine authorities deported Boling to the United States in May 2026 to face charges.

Boling faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on each conspiracy count. Sentencing is scheduled for January 14, 2027, with a federal judge determining his punishment.

He is the third defendant to plead guilty in the scheme. Brown received a 151-month prison sentence, while another accomplice, Trorice Crawford, was sentenced to 46 months. Two other co-conspirators, Jongmin Seok and Allan Albert Kerr, remain fugitives.

The case falls under the Justice Department’s Cyber-Enabled Scam Initiative, which pursues criminal networks behind online financial fraud targeting Americans.