PROVIDENCE – A benefits-service representative with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been indicted on three counts of bribery and one count each of extortion, gratuity received by a public official and witness tampering, U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island Zachary A. Cunha announced Thursday.
Michael Darrah, 45, for Taunton, is accused of soliciting and accepting bribes from both veterans and their family members to approve requested dependent care benefits and/or disability benefits.
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Allegedly, Darrah used some of that money to purchase gift cards for other VA employees who he claimed either could or did assist him in expediting and approving benefits claims, according to the indictment.
First, Darrah requested payments and accepted approximately $3,385 from a veteran, supposedly to “grease the wheels” and expedite a claim for disability benefits, according to indictment.
He then corruptly sought and accepted $16,566 from a second veteran to expedite and approve a claim for disability benefits before accepting $2,700 from a relative of a third veteran to expedite and approve the veteran’s benefits claim, according to the indictment.
Also, prosecutors claim, Darrah sought and accepted a “gratuity” of approximately $5,000 from another veteran for successfully using his position at the VA to get other VA employees to expedite and approve the claims, despite being advised that the veteran was facing homelessness as his house was being foreclosed, according to the indictment.
Darrah later attempted to corruptly persuade a witness not to cooperate with the investigation and to lie about the nature of payments he received after becoming aware of the government’s investigation into his conduct.
