FORT DOUGLAS, Utah — A U.S. Army Reservist from Utah's 76th Operational Response Command has been indicted for military pay fraud at Fort Douglas during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Captain Jean Philippe Martial, 48, a Midvale resident, is charged with Fraudulent Claim Against the United States and Theft of Government Property.
Court documents state Martial allegedly defrauded the United States of $143,059.99 in temporary change of station entitlements and family separation allowances from June 2019 to September 2021.
Martial is the second military pay fraud case to come to light in Utah this year.
In June, Colonel Reece Roberts, 53, of Herriman, pleaded guilty to filing a fraudulent claim against the United States, conspiring to defraud the United States and other charges in a similar case that also happened at Fort Douglas.
Both cases deal with Temporary Change of Station Entitlements, which is explained in court documents as benefits when an Army reservist is called to active duty.
"If they reside within commuting distance, the reservist is entitled to receive base pay and, if otherwise eligible, basic allowance for housing," documents explain. "If the reservist resides outside commuting distance, they may receive additional entitlements, including per diem for meals and incidentals (M&IE) and lodging expenses. Additionally, the reservist may be entitled to receive a family separation allowance."
After receiving orders calling him to active duty at Fort Douglas, documents state Roberts changed his address to a location where neither he nor his family lived to claim extra benefits.
Officials further explained that Roberts made up lease and listing documents, submitting false vouchers to get more than $60,000 total in unearned military pay entitlements.
Roberts will be sentenced on Thursday, August 29, while Martial will make his initial court appearance on July 31.
