U.S. Army Reserve Officer Admits to Military Pay Fraud While Another Is Charged

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah –A second U.S. Army Reservist from Utah’s 76th Operational Response Command was indicted July 3, 2024, by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City for military pay fraud that occurred at Fort Douglas, Utah, during the coronavirus pandemic.  

According to court documents, Captain Jean Philippe Martial, 48, of Midvale, Utah, defrauded the United States out of more than $140,000 in unearned military pay entitlements from June 2019 to September 2021. Last month, Colonel Reece Roberts, formerly of Utah’s 76th Operational Response Command, pled guilty to filing a fraudulent claim against the United States, conspiring to defraud the United States, and other federal crimes. See former press release. 

These announcements come as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s ongoing efforts with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division and Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service to resolve cases of military pay fraud and corruption that occurred at Fort Douglas during the coronavirus pandemic. 

According to court documents, both defendants misrepresented their residences to qualify for additional pay entitlements, fabricated lease agreements, falsified rent payments, and submitted over a dozen false vouchers to military officials. Charging documents further allege these misrepresentations allowed the defendants to receive family separation allowances, reimbursement for lodging expenses, and other entitlements that were not available to local servicemembers.

Roberts is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday, August 29, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.1 at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.  Martial’s initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled on July 31, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. 

The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service and U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division are investigating these cases. 

Assistant United States Attorney Tanner Zumwalt of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting these cases. 

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.