WASHINGTON – A federal indictment charges former Department of Veterans Affairs official Russell Ware with improperly obtaining $66,000 in VA disability benefits for himself and a friend.
Ware’s indictment comes nine months after the friend pleaded guilty. Jacqueline Crawford, 33, of Gulfport, Mississippi, is awaiting sentencing after admitting that she kicked back to Ware more than $13,000 of the VA money he obtained for her.
Ware, 39, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, faces four counts of wire fraud, plus counts of bribery and theft of government property.
Subscribe to our free newsletters
Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.

