What happened
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina said on 13 November 2026 that Alexander Gene Williams, 35, of Charlotte, is facing federal charges of theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft for allegedly defrauding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of more than $42,000 in disability benefits. He was arrested on 28 October in Fayetteville and was arraigned in federal court in Charlotte on 12 November. Williams served in the U.S. Army from February 2012 to March 2013 and began receiving VA disability benefits in March 2022. The indictment alleges that between October 2023 and April 2026 he submitted at least 17 false applications seeking extra compensation for additional dependent minor children who were not his or, in some cases, did not exist, sometimes using a Social Security number assigned to another real person. He allegedly received about $42,266 he was not entitled to and tried to obtain more. The VA Office of Inspector General investigated. The charges are allegations; no plea was reported.
How the scam works
A charge, an arraignment, a witness's testimony or a prosecutor's accusation is not a finding of guilt. People and companies named in these reports are accused, charged or, where the source says so, convicted or sentenced, and they are presumed innocent unless and until a court finds otherwise. Do not treat a news report or a press release as a substitute for a court judgment. If you think you were affected by the same kind of scheme, keep records and report them to the investigating agency named in the source, or to your local police and your bank.
Source
Source: https://x.com/USAO_WDNC/status/2121226865683693700 (@USAO_WDNC, Nov 13, 2026, 8:01 AM ET); https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdnc/pr/man-facing-federal-charges-allegedly-defrauding-va-appears-federal-court (USAO WDNC, 13 Nov 2026)
