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NEW ORLEANS –  MARC QUIROZ (“QUIROZ”),a resident of Covington, Louisiana, pled guilty in federal court on August 17, 2023 before Chief U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to one count of wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343 in connection with a scheme to defraud the Department of Veterans Affairs, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

QUIROZ’s co-conspirators, James Thomas Sinyard, Jr., a/k/a Jay Sinyard, and Mary Gigi Sinyard, a/k/a Gigi Sinyard, were charged by bill of information on February 14, 2023. On May 18, 2023, Jay and Gigi Sinyard pled guilty to one count of wire fraud. (EDLA Case No. 23-30 “G”).  Co-conspirator John Sutton was charged by bill of information on June 13, 2023. On August 17, 2023, Sutton pled guilty to one count of wire fraud. (EDLA Case No. 23-122 “M”).

According to the bill of information, QUIROZ submitted fraudulent affidavits for home aid services provided when he knew that those services were not actually provided.  As part of the scheme to defraud, beginning in or around April 2013 and continuing until July 2018, QUIROZ did knowingly devise and intend to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (Veterans Affairs) and to obtain money and property by submitting false affidavits and applications to Veterans Affairs on behalf of veterans and their spouses, claiming that VetAttend had provided home services to the veterans, when in fact, it had not. During the scheme to defraud, Veterans Affairs issued funds to over 300 veterans and/or their surviving spouses from which QUIROZ fraudulently appropriated, without the knowledge of the veterans, totaling approximately $4,065,969.18.

QUIROZ faces a possible maximum term of imprisonment of twenty years, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. The Court set sentencing of MARC QUIROZ for November 30, 2023

The U.S. Attorney’s Office praised the work of the Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General.  The prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn McHugh, of the Financial Crimes Unit.