Florida Man Sentenced For Stealing Twin Brother's ID For Veterans

Evil twin? Or evil genius twin? You decide.

A Florida man was sentenced Tuesday to two years in federal prison after he obtained more than $72,000 worth of military benefits using his twin brother's stolen identity.

According to court records, 64-year-old Wayne Bowen was sentenced in Jacksonville federal court. Back in January, he pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft. He must also pay $63,773 in restitution.

To gain benifits, Bowen had obtained a Florida identification card using his twin’s identity. He used his brothers name, Social Security card and military discharge papers in 2014 to apply for federally subsidized housing benefits intended for indigent military veterans.

During his time of lies, officials said that VA provided Bowen with $32,434 in medical services, HUD provided him with $18,905 in housing subsidies, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture funded $12,434 in nutritional benefits for him. Bowens twin brother, who lives in another state, did not apply for wany of those bennifts and never gave permission to his brother to use his identity.

After Bowen was caught, he admitted to stealing his brothers identity for the past several years. He told agents that his brother had served in and been honorably discharged from the U.S. Army, which he later also admitted those were lies.

Wayne Bowen was sentenced Tuesday to two years in federal prison for using his twin brother’s stolen identity to obtain tens of thousands of dollars in military veterans benefits. He must also pay $63,773 in restitution.