Schenectady County Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Precious Metals from VA Dental Clinic

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Arthur Hanvey, age 65, of Delanson, New York, pled guilty today to theft of government property. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Field Office for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, made the announcement.

Hanvey admitted that, while employed as a dental technician at the Albany Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center between October 2017 and May 2021, he stole precious metals and noble alloys that were intended to be recycled and used to manufacture crowns, bridges, and other dental prostheses, and then sold those precious metals to a third-party refinery for a profit. Hanvey admitted to obtaining $17,574 from the scheme.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 4, 2023, before United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci. Hanvey faces a maximum term of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General investigated this case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping.