Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Oct 21: An American man who operated from the Philippines has pleaded guilty to participating in a cyber-enabled fraud scheme that targeted thousands of US military personnel and veterans by using stolen personal information to access their bank accounts and government benefits.

The US Department of Justice said Robert Wayne Boling Jr., 45, admitted his role in a conspiracy involving identity theft, financial fraud and money laundering.

The case involved personal records stolen by a civilian employee of the US Army in South Korea and subsequently used by members of the network to compromise financial accounts belonging to serving military personnel, veterans and their families.

Federal prosecutors said Boling operated from the Philippines, where he received and exploited stolen personally identifiable information belonging to thousands of individuals affiliated with the US military.

The information included records obtained by Fredrick Brown, a civilian medical records administrator working for the US Army in South Korea. Brown secretly photographed sensitive personal information and supplied it to Boling, who worked with other conspirators to gain unauthorised access to the victims’ financial accounts.

The stolen information was used to compromise bank accounts and online government benefits accounts, enabling the conspirators to steal money intended for military personnel and veterans.

According to federal prosecutors, the network also recruited money mules in the United States who provided bank accounts to receive the stolen funds. Some of the money was subsequently transferred to the Philippines.

The Justice Department said the victims included elderly and disabled veterans who depended on their benefits for financial support.

“Those who courageously served our nation deserve our gratitude and protection — not to become targets for criminals seeking to profit from their sacrifice,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Duva said Boling had exploited personal information belonging to thousands of military-affiliated individuals.

Boling was deported from the Philippines to the United States in May 2026 to face charges arising from the conspiracy.

He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each charge carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison.

Boling is scheduled to be sentenced on January 14, 2027.

Brown and another conspirator, Trorice Crawford, had previously pleaded guilty and received prison sentences of 151 months and 46 months, respectively.

Two other alleged conspirators, Jongmin Seok and Allan Albert Kerr, remain fugitives, according to the Justice Department.