According to federal prosecutors, the ex-wife of a U.S. Army Veteran claimed to be his surviving spouse after his death in order to steal his military benefits. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia claims that Miranda Rachel Briggs of Rincon, Georgia, tried to hide their divorce and then cheated the Department of VA so she could still get the Veteran benefits for spouses.

Now, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Briggs, 34, has entered a guilty plea to claim her ex-husband's Army Veteran benefits unlawfully. Kurtis C. Bronston, her defense lawyer, refused to comment on the situation when news outlets asked about it.

The Scheme to Steal Her Husband’s Army Veteran Benefits

According to court filings, Briggs filed for divorce from her husband in September 2016, less than a year after their marriage. According to the indictment, the divorce was formalized in August 2017.

Prosecutors claimed that she retained her maiden name, Fisher, after they were married. The prosecutors reported that when she claimed her ex-husband's benefits, she changed her last name to Briggs.

Prosecutors also shared that when Briggs filed for bankruptcy in January 2018, she certified that she was divorced two weeks before his passing. Prosecutors said Briggs claimed VA benefits within weeks of his passing and that her marriage remained intact. Prosecutors claim that after the divorce, her ex-husband had her removed from his list of beneficiaries.

Falsified Marriage Claims Lead to Multi-Million Lawsuit

Briggs persisted and submitted additional paperwork claiming she and G.B. were married until his death in 2018, despite the VA's first denial of her claim, according to prosecutors. The people behind the investigation also said the VA then let her begin receiving benefits. Prosecutors added that she later had her last name officially altered to Briggs.

According to the indictment and prosecutors, Briggs took over as administrator of her ex-husband's estate in 2021 and sued the U.S. government for wrongful death.

According to the accusation, she pretended to be his surviving spouse in order to obtain $7,350,000. Based on the court documents, her complaint was eventually dismissed.

Briggs Admits to Fraud

According to the prosecution, Briggs was removed as the administrator of her husband's estate in March 2023 after the Chatham County Probate Court in Georgia learned that she had divorced him.

Prosecutors claim that the VA gave her over $80,000 in surviving spouse payments and approximately $49,000 in medical benefits before learning of this.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg said these programs exist to provide financial assistance to surviving family members of deceased Veterans, and are intended to give those survivors a safety net. Briggs' guilty plea shows how determined investigators and prosecutors were to uncover this plot.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Briggs pleaded guilty to wire fraud and now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Court documents on January 16 did not specify a date for her sentence hearing. Briggs' hometown of Rincon is just a 25-mile drive northwest of Savannah.

Understanding VA Benefits as a Surviving Spouse

You can be eligible for certain Army Veteran benefits as a surviving spouse, parent, or child of a Veteran, including compensation or pension and assistance with burial expenses. You might also be eligible for health insurance, life insurance, or financial aid to help with training or education costs.

Compensation for Dependency and Indemnity

A monthly benefit known as Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is given to the surviving spouse, parents, or children of any Veteran who died on or after January 1, 1957. If a survivor satisfies one of the following requirements, they may qualify for this benefit:

• The Veteran passed away while on active duty, active duty, or training.
• Either a condition brought on or made worse by a service-connected disability or a service-connected disability itself caused the Veteran's death.

Certain survivors of Veterans whose deaths were not caused by a service-connected disability may also be eligible for DIC payments. The Veteran must have been deemed completely disabled by their service-connected disabilities at the time of death, whether they were scheduled, extra-schedular, or determined by a more thorough review based on Individual

Unemployability in order to qualify for benefits under the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Veteran needs to have been consistently classified as completely incapacitated in one of the following ways:

• During the ten years just before death.
• From the day they were released from the service and for five years or more before they passed away.
• Former prisoner of war who lived for at least a year before passing away.

Read next:

• Why Your VA Benefits Payment May Be In Limbo
• What Happens to Your VA Benefits if You're a Veteran Facing Incarceration
• The VA Disability Pay Rates for 2025 Are Now in Effect

Sources:

• Veteran’s Ex-wife Tried Hiding Divorce After He Died to Steal His VA Benefits, Feds Say
• Veteran's Ex-wife Tried Hiding Divorce to Steal Benefits: Feds
• The VA Death Benefits Available to Veterans' Survivors