Army veteran told the VA he was blind, but the Kansas man kept driving, prosecutors say

A U.S. Army veteran who pretended to be blind, even as he kept driving, has been charged with theft of government funds, officials said.

Addison Lewis, 39, of Hutchinson, was charged with conspiracy to defraud the government and two counts of theft of government funds, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a news release.

Lewis, an Army veteran, “pretended to be blind in order to receive benefits from the Veterans Administration and Social Security,” the release said. But even while Lewis received government benefits, he maintained his Kansas driver’s license and witnesses saw him drive vehicles, a tractor and a lawn mower, prosecutors say.

Brandi Lewis, 25, of Hutchinson, is also charged in the case. She pretended to guide Addison Lewis when she accompanied him to a vision exam, prosecutors say.

If convicted, they face up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the conspiracy charge, and up to 10 years and $250,000 on the theft charges, the release said. The inspector general offices at the VA and Social Security Administration investigated the case.

Last year, another Reno County man sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to repay $70,000 in benefits he received from the VA.

Billy J. Alumbaugh, 62, of Turon, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government, prosecutors said at the time. His ex-wife, Debra Alumbaugh, 58, pleaded guilty to concealing the crime.

Alumbaugh served in the Army from 1973 to 1976, but he admitted in his plea that he falsely represented to the VA that he was blind and home bound. He received supplemental assistance from 2009 to 2016 before he was caught behind the wheel after leaving the VA hospital in Wichita, The Eagle previously reported.