Former Army Investigator Turned Commercial Beekeeper

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Gennaro Mattiaccio, 55, of Stafford was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for his fraudulent receipt of disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and making false statements to the SSA.

Mattiaccio, a former federal law enforcement officer with the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Command (“CID”), was convicted by a federal jury on February 24, 2017 of three felonies related to his fraud and false statements. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Mattiaccio received over $75,000 in Social Security disability benefits from April 2014 through September 2016, despite being gainfully self-employed during that same time period as the owner and sole proprietor of Rock Hill Honey Bee Farms, a commercial beekeeping business. That employment disqualified Mattiaccio from receiving any disability benefits from the SSA.

In support of his fraudulent claim for benefits, Mattiaccio testified falsely under oath to an Administrative Law Judge, and also submitted false and fraudulent documents, including a fake tax return, to the SSA. When he learned that he was under investigation for his fraud, Mattiaccio also attempted to obstruct justice by back-dating the signature card to his business bank account.

In addition to his theft from the SSA, Mattiaccio also carried out a similar disability benefits fraud scheme against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). From 2008 through 2016, he collected another approximately $120,000 in disability benefits from the VA that he was not entitled to receive, and which he similarly collected by means of false statements and fraudulent documents submitted to the government about his supposed inability to work.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael McGill, Special Agent-in-Charge, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General; and Michael J. Missal, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Pedersen and Samantha Bateman prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-215.