By GAYLA CAWLEY
BOSTON — A Lynn man who pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $80,000 in veteran benefits from a neighbor was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
John Ladd, 73, was sentenced to one year of probation, with the first six months to be served in home confinement, and was ordered to pay $79,958 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. He pleaded guilty to stealing public money last August, according to the U.S. Attorney.
Ladd’s neighbor was receiving monthly veterans benefits before she died in 2009. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs was not properly notified of her death and her benefits continued to be deposited into her bank account each month.
Ladd had been assisting his neighbor before her death and was able to access her checkbook. Ladd routinely wrote checks to himself from his neighbor’s account, forging her signature on each one, which he then deposited into his own bank accounts.