TALLAHASSEE — A 46-year-old Tallahassee man who falsely claimed he was a decorated U.S. Army combat veteran — complete with a Purple Heart and Bronze Star — has been sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for stealing government funds through fraudulent Veterans Affairs benefits, U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin announced.
Michel Duane Dyson was never an active or reserve member of any branch of the armed forces. Court records show he fraudulently applied for VA benefits in April 2022, claiming active Army service and combat decorations. Investigators later determined that during part of the period Dyson claimed military service, he was incarcerated in Massachusetts for a sex offense.
“The brave men and women of our Armed Forces have made innumerable sacrifices throughout our nation’s history to preserve and protect the freedoms enjoyed by all Americans, and acts of stolen valor by fraudsters, like this defendant, are despicable,” Heekin said. “This defendant fraudulently claimed military service to gain benefits reserved for our nation’s warriors, but thanks to the excellent investigative work by federal law enforcement partners and the successful prosecution by my office, he’ll spend years in federal prison for his crimes.”
From April 2022 until June 2025, Dyson collected VA benefits in the form of medical treatment provided through VA medical facilities or contracted medical providers. In May 2025, he attempted to fraudulently obtain additional VA housing benefits, at which point his deception was uncovered. Records revealed Dyson had similarly attempted to obtain VA benefits in the Boston, Massachusetts area in 2013 but had been denied.
“This sentence holds the defendant accountable for falsely claiming military service to obtain VA benefits intended for veterans who earned them through their sacrifice and service,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Greg Wentz with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Southeast Field Office. “The VA OIG remains committed to safeguarding veteran programs against fraud so that benefits reach the individuals they were created to serve.”
The case was investigated by the VA Office of Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin. Upon release from prison, Dyson will be required to serve three years on supervised release and pay $28,118.37 in restitution to the VA.
The prosecution falls under the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, created April 7 to investigate and prosecute fraud against the American people. The division supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse within federal benefit programs.