Judge denies motion to extend surrender date for woman who embellished husband’s wartime injuries

SAN ANTONIO – Josephine Perez-Gorda, a Dripping Springs woman, has been sentenced to 46 months in jail for perpetrating a long fraud scheme by way of embellishing her Army veteran husband’s wartime injuries. She should document to federal jail by way of Wednesday, as a pass judgement on has denied her motion to extend her surrender date.

Perez-Gorda used to be discovered in charge of all 18 counts towards her, which ranged from cord fraud to making false statements comparable to well being care issues and robbery of presidency budget. She asked an extension on her June 5 surrender date so as to make sure that her two grownup daughters can proceed their lives with out her help, and to reply correctly to the federal government’s try to foreclose on her assets, which may well be offered to lend a hand repay the greater than $501,000 in restitution she owes.

However, the federal government antagonistic the extension and argued that Perez-Gorda were out on bond for 8 months, considerably longer than maximum defendants in equivalent instances. Furthermore, the pursuits of the sufferers in the hunt for restitution are higher served by way of the federal government, as Perez-Gorda had used fraudulent statements to download the valuables within the first position.

From 2011 to 2017, Perez-Gorda falsely informed federal businesses that her husband, who suffered a aggravating mind damage whilst serving in Afghanistan, used to be paralyzed from the stomach button down. While the couple claimed in Veterans Affairs and Social Security bureaucracy that her husband had misplaced the usage of his decrease extremities, federal investigators had been in a position to collect pictures of him strolling. Her husband died whilst looking ahead to trial in Missouri early closing 12 months.

During the listening to in past due March, Judge Fred Biery had taken factor with Perez-Gorda’s movements, together with purchasing a $110,000 truck whilst the felony case towards her used to be ongoing and whilst she used to be represented by way of a court-appointed lawyer. Biery additionally criticized Perez-Gorda for leaving her husband in the back of whilst she took a go back and forth to Disney World, in spite of filling out caregiver bureaucracy claiming that he wanted around-the-clock care. The pass judgement on famous that Perez-Gorda had now not taken accountability for her crimes and didn’t pay restitution prior to her sentencing date.

Federal Bureau of Prisons information display that Perez-Gorda had now not reported to federal jail as of Monday afternoon.