Berkeley County Man Sentenced for Elder Financial Abuse
Jan 15, 2025
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of West Virginia
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Joseph Beach, age 55, of Inwood, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 41 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining a quarter of a million dollars from his father.
Beach pled guilty to one count of wire fraud in March 2024. According to court documents and statements made in court, Beach was the fiduciary for his father, who is under the care of a veterans’ facility and receives monthly benefits. As the fiduciary, Beach received his father’s veteran’s disability, retirement, and social security payments but used them for his own benefit. The total amount of funds stolen by Beach was $253,867.12.
Beach was ordered to pay $253,876.12 in restitution and will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eleanor Hurney prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and the Social Security Administration investigated.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Read more from the SSA: Read More
