Twenty-Five Years as a Dead Man

For 25 years he lived as a real Vietnam veteran. When the veteran died, he told the government the death was reported “in error” — and the checks resumed for five more years. $860,000 taken.

Beginning as early as 1997, Musgrove assumed the identity of "J.M.C.," a real Marine Corps veteran of Vietnam — drawing VA compensation, VA health care, and opening financial accounts in the man’s name.

When the real J.M.C. died in 2018, Musgrove falsely claimed the death had been reported in error and persuaded agencies to resume the benefit payments. The scheme ran until 2023, when his attempts to obtain additional benefits exposed it.

He pleaded guilty to false representation of a Social Security number, wire fraud and theft of government funds, and was found guilty at a bench trial of aggravated identity theft. The sentencing judge told him: "You had been living a lie for decades."

"Even after the real J.M.C. died in 2018, Musgrove continued the scheme"
— U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Washington

Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Washington. Case file in the VA Fraud case files — part of the VA Fraud record. Cases are published as the courts decided them; amounts are stated as the Justice Department states them (billed, stolen, or ordered in restitution, as labeled).