Man sentenced for stealing veteran, Social Security benefits

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Georgia man convicted of participating in a scheme in Florida to steal more than $1.8 million in veteran and Social Security benefits has been sentenced to six years and six months in prison. Court documents show Jamare Mason was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale. He pleaded guilty in November to conspiring to commit bank and wire fraud. From 2012 to 2017, officials say Mason and others attempted to redirect over $1.8 million in benefits from more than 100 disabled veterans and Social Security beneficiaries. Officials say the scheme resulted in the actual loss of nearly $1 million.