Downstate vet charged with disabilities fraud

URBANA -- A 44-year-old eastern Illinois man has been indicted on charges that he defrauded the federal government out of $280,000 by claiming he suffered disabilities while in the Navy.

Robert J. Warren of Sullivan is scheduled for trial July 20 in federal court in Urbana. The charges include wire fraud and mail fraud. Sullivan is about 35 miles southeast of Decatur.

Prosecutors says Warren received veterans benefits for an injury suffered while in the Navy in the 1980s. He also was paid Social Security benefits for mental impairment.

But prosecutors say Warren worked at a tavern and was a volunteer firefighter.

Warren pleaded not guilty and is free pending trial. Neither he nor his attorney could be reached for comment.