VA Nurse Steals from Veteran, But Won’t Be Going to Jail
By Debbie Gregory.
Nursing is one of the noblest professions. But there will always be good and bad people in every profession, and this bad apple was rotten to his core. On more than 40 occasions, between February 2015 and July 2015, licensed practical nurse Alexander Kudla ripped off a veteran in his care.
Kudla was tasked with helping withdraw funds from an ATM due to the unnamed veteran’s physical disabilities. But the Department of Veterans Affairs nurse at the Wilmington VA Medical Center filled his pockets with $22,320 that didn’t belong to him.
Charged with and convicted of wire fraud, the Delaware District Court ordered him to pay full restitution to the victim, with $4,000 due immediately. But he will not see the inside of a jail cell; after pleading guilty, he was sentenced to a three-year term of probation by United States District Judge Richard G. Andrews.
A wire fraud conviction can carry a prison sentence up to 20 years, so it isn’t clear why Kudla will not face jail time.
Kudla worked as a VA nurse from 2005 to 2015. Needless to say, Kudla is no longer employed with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Acting U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss stated, “I want to thank the Veterans Affairs Police Service and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General for their efforts throughout the investigation and prosecution of this case. The act of secretly withdrawing his patient’s funds for Defendant’s own personal use is completely at odds with the important position with which he was entrusted. Such crimes will be investigated by our partner agencies and prosecuted by our office.”
The investigation was conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the Veterans Affairs Police Service.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Whitney Cloud.
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