The founder of a Cuyahoga County-based nonprofit veterans charity will serve four years in prison for lying to former military members and scamming the United States Department of Veterans Affairs of roughly $20 million.
Richard Rompala, 65, a Florida native, was one of four Senior Veterans Administration Services members charged with the fraud last year. Prosecutors claim he would contact veterans and tell them they were entitled to specific treatments and benefits when they were not and then send their false information to the VA to get money before pocketing it himself.
“Rompala’s scheme preyed on veterans who were simply seeking help,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said in a statement. “Today’s sentence delivers justice and sends a clear message that fraud targeting veterans will not be tolerated.”…