This act establishes a new federal crime specifically targeting individuals who knowingly defraud veterans or attempt to steal their federal benefits.
Brian Fitzpatrick
Representative
PA-1
The Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2025 establishes a new federal crime specifically targeting individuals who knowingly defraud veterans or attempt to steal their federal benefits. This legislation creates enhanced penalties, including potential fines and imprisonment up to five years, for those convicted of such schemes. The Act ensures robust legal tools are in place to protect veterans from financial exploitation related to their earned benefits.
New Federal Crime: Bill Proposes Up to 5 Years Prison for Veterans Benefit Fraud
The new "Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2025" is straight to the point: it creates a brand new federal crime specifically aimed at protecting veterans and their families from financial scams. If you knowingly try to run a scheme or trick to steal a veteran's benefits, or cheat them while helping them get those benefits, you could face federal fines, up to five years in prison, or both (Sec. 2).
The Scammers’ New Headache
Right now, federal law already covers general fraud, but this bill carves out a specific, enhanced penalty for those who target veterans’ benefits. Think of it like this: if you’re a financial advisor (or just a plain scammer) who convinces a veteran to sign over their disability payments or pension using false promises—that’s exactly what this new section, 1352 of Title 18, is designed to prosecute. It gives federal prosecutors a sharp, dedicated tool to go after people who prey on veterans, dependents, or survivors (Sec. 2).
What Counts as a Benefit?
The bill keeps things simple and clear by defining its terms based on existing law. A "veteran" is defined by the existing Title 38 statute, which is the main body of law governing veterans. "Veterans benefits" covers essentially any benefit the federal government provides to a veteran, their dependent, or survivor—this means everything from disability compensation and pensions to educational assistance and healthcare subsidies. By tying the definitions to established law, the bill avoids creating new bureaucratic definitions and ensures clarity for enforcement (Sec. 2).
Real-World Impact: More Teeth for Protection
For the millions of veterans and their families, this bill means stronger protection against predatory schemes. We’ve all seen the news stories about companies or individuals charging huge, unnecessary fees to help veterans file simple claims, or worse, outright stealing their lump-sum payouts. This new law raises the stakes significantly for those bad actors. By adding a specific federal crime with a serious prison sentence, the bill aims to deter fraud before it happens. While most fraud cases require proving intent, the inclusion of the word "knowingly" means prosecutors must demonstrate that the person understood they were running a scam, which should prevent accidental or minor administrative errors from triggering this severe penalty.