Local Woman Gets 70 Months in Stolen Valor Case

East Greenwich resident Sarah Cavanaugh, 32, was sentenced Tuesday to
70 months, or just under 6 years, in federal prison. Cavanaugh pled
guilty in August to wire fraud, identity theft, forged military
discharge certificates, and fraudulent use of military medals. U.S.
District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. remanded Cavanaugh
into custody immediately following her sentencing.

McConnell said the fraud perpetrated was the "worst kind of
victimization" and "beyond comprehension."

Cavanaugh, a former licensed social worker employed by the Dept. of
Veterans Affairs at the Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center,
falsely claimed to be a corporal in the Marine Corps. In addition, she
claimed to be suffering from cancer that originated from exposure to
burn pit sights in Iraq and Afghanistan and that she was dealing with
PTSD from an IED blast. She went as far as to tell people at her gym
that she was so wounded from her time in the military that she had
trouble tying her shoes, which many routinely did for her.

According to court documents, Cavanaugh defrauded numerous charitable organizations, most significantly the Wounded Warrior Project, and
received money and services of more than $250,000 from two
individuals, nine veterans' charities, and her employer.

Prosecutors said Cavanaugh falsified an Electronic Data Interchange
Personal Identifier number - a unique number assigned to individuals
affiliated with the Department of Defense. The number she used was the
number of a former Marine who served from 2011 to 2016 and was
employed as a civilian with the U.S. Navy in Newport. According to
court documents, that individual did use VA services but did not
remember crossing paths with Cavanaugh.

https://eastgreenwichnews.com/local-woman-gets-70-months-in-stolen-valor-case/

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