Robert Wayne Boling Jr., 45, a U.S. citizen who previously resided in the Philippines, pleaded guilty earlier this week to his role in an identity-theft and fraud scheme that victimized thousands of U.S. service members and veterans.
Court documents say that Boling operated from the Philippines, and he received and exploited stolen personally identifiable information (PII) of U.S. service members and veterans to compromise their bank accounts and steal money and veterans’ benefits.
Boling’s co-conspirator, Fredrick Brown, who worked as a civilian medical records administrator for the U.S. Army in South Korea, took digital photographs of the PII of thousands of military-affiliated individuals. Brown provided the stolen PII to Boling, who, along with his co-conspirators, used the PII to compromise various accounts belonging to U.S. service members and veterans, including bank accounts and online government-affiliated benefits accounts.
Boling and his co-conspirators also worked with a network of money mules in the United States, who provided bank accounts into which stolen funds could be deposited, and helped to remit a portion of the stolen funds to the Philippines. Boling was deported by the Philippines to the United States in May 2026 to face charges related to the scheme.
“Those who courageously served our nation deserve our gratitude and protection — not to become targets for criminals seeking to profit from their sacrifice,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This defendant betrayed our country by exploiting personal information belonging to thousands of military-affiliated individuals, including elderly and disabled veterans, in a calculated scheme to steal from those who have given so much. Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that the Department of Justice will pursue those who prey on America’s servicemembers and veterans, no matter how sophisticated the schemes may be.”
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Boling pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 14, 2027, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each conspiracy charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“We in the Western District of Texas, in partnership with Justice Department’s Criminal Division, have worked for years to get Robert Boling Jr. back from the Philippines and hold him accountable for the crimes he committed against those who serve our nation and their families,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “This defendant and his fellow fraudsters served themselves by stealing from those who selflessly serve our country. We will always work tirelessly to fully prosecute those who prey on others in this manner, especially when the victims of those crimes are servicemembers.”
Boling is the third defendant to plead guilty for his role in the scheme. Co-conspirators, Fredrick Brown and Trorice Crawford, previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 151 and 46 months in prison, respectively. Co-conspirators Jongmin Seok and Allan Albert Kerr remain fugitives.
“Defrauding the men and women who defended our country is reprehensible,” said Director James R. Ives of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). “Today’s action demonstrates that DCIS and our partners will relentlessly pursue those who steal from our nation’s service members and veterans.”
DCIS is investigating the case. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, and the Veterans Benefits Administration’s Benefits Protection and Remediation Division provided valuable assistance.
Acting Assistant Chief Lauren M. Elfner and Trial Attorney Carolyn Rice of the Criminal Division’s White Collar and Corporate Enforcement Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Blackwell for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.
This case is part of efforts being undertaken by the Criminal Division’s Cyber-Enabled Scam Initiative (CSI). The CSI is a dedicated team of prosecutors built to find scammers who prey on Americans, disrupt their networks, and hold them accountable. CSI brings together expert prosecutors from across the Criminal Division to accelerate the prosecution of cyber-enabled financial crimes, including complex frauds, government imposter schemes, romance and inheritance scams, financially motivated sextortion, lottery and sweepstakes scams, and other predatory schemes. With nationwide jurisdiction and global reach, CSI leverages every available tool to dismantle criminal operations, pursue bad actors, recover criminal proceeds, and obtain justice for victims. The Criminal Division partners with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country and is a founding member of the Scam Center Strike Force.