A jailed veteran has accused a veterans affairs coordinator of stealing approximately $65,000 from her while she was incarcerated.
The unnamed victim allegedly hired Jessica McVay, a veterans affairs coordinator at the public defender’s office, to handle financial administration like paying her bills while she was in Manatee County Jail, according to local ABC affiliate WWSB in Sarasota, Fla.
Police claim that the 48-year-old McVay accessed bank accounts, opened new credit cards and transferred the veteran’s money into her own account.
“Jessica McVay took it upon herself while this victim was in jail to open up credit cards, bank statements, transfer money from this victim’s account to her own personal account,” Genevieve Judge, of the Sarasota Police Department, told WWSB.
Military.com reached out to the Sarasota Police Department for comment.
Victim Found Money Missing After Prison Release
WWSB reported that the victim was released from jail on Aug. 13 and contacted Sarasota Police Department on Aug. 18 to report fraudulent charges, withdrawals and payments that occurred through her bank accounts between Nov. 2025 and July 2026.
The charges included ATM withdrawals, retail purchases and bank transfers. She told the department that she had lost roughly $65,000.
She said that the only person who had access to her credit cards while she was in jail was McVay, whom she had asked to help her with her finances in Aug. 2025 when she was arrested for aggravated assault.
The victim told the police she did not give McVay permission to use her cards for her own personal reasons.
After detectives worked out that McVay was allegedly using the victim’s bank account, they arrested her on Sept. 23.
“Thankfully, that victim noticed something wasn’t right and once she got out of jail she started going through her personal affairs,” Judge told local Fox affiliate FOX13. “She realized that she was missing in excess of $65,000 and that’s why she came to the Sarasota Police Department, so we could begin our investigation.”
Potential Criminal Penalties for McVay
McVay faces charges of grand theft of $20,000 or more, criminal use of personal identification, unauthorized use of a credit card, and a scheme to defraud to obtain property and communications fraud, per FOX13.
Genevieve Judge added that there might be other veterans associated with McVay and encouraged the public to reach out if they have additional information to share.
More than 107,000 U.S. military veterans are currently incarcerated in federal and state prisons and local jails. According to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, former service members account for roughly 8% of all inmates nationwide.
Veterans are also increasingly targeted by criminals. The Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division on April 7 aimed “to zealously investigate and prosecute” those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars, as part of President Donald Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud that is chaired by Vice President JD Vance.
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