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VA Supervisor Made Her Employees Renovate Her House, Used Gov’t Money To Do It

Tristyn Bloom Contributor
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A former Veterans Affairs supervisor has been sentenced for stealing up to $20,000 of government property, a recent Justice Department release announced.

From 2010 to 2013, 48-year-old Venita Godfrey-Scott directed her employees to use materials and supplies intended for VA medical center upkeep on her own house. These taxpayer-funded home improvement projects included “a deck in her backyard, carpet installation, and various kitchen, bathroom and basement improvements.” She also instructed employees to buy other necessary materials with her government-issued credit card, and had them work on these projects during normal work hours, when they were being paid by the VA.

Godfrey-Scott was a facilities supervisor, responsible for “carpentry, paint, locks, doors, and other minor construction projects,” for the VA Medical Center in West Haven, Conn. (RELATED: VA Medical Center Coke Ring Busted)

She plead guilty to the charges in May 2014. While she faced a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, she will serve only four years of probation, and 120 hours of community service. Godfrey-Scott has also been ordered to pay $15,000 of restitution, although it is estimated that she caused between $15,000 and $20,000 in loss to the government. (RELATED: VA Drug Addiction Worker Took Recovering Vet To A Crackhouse)

She will spend the first six months of her probation admiring the fruits of her theft–under house arrest in her tax-funded abode, monitored electronically by the police.

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