CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati woman was arrested Wednesday in connection with stealing almost $150,000 from elderly or ill veterans, said Dominick S. Gerace II, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.
Gerace said 46-year-old Ishwanzya Rivers, who was arrested in Louisville, has been charged with misappropriating money that she was managing on behalf of four U.S. military veterans. Rivers also allegedly made false statements to the government to cover up her theft.
Rivers stole more than $133,000 from an elderly, dying veteran who lived at Cincinnati's VA hospital, according to court documents. She misappropriated the veteran's money at least 45 times between June 2021 and November 2022, per court documents.
She also allegedly stole smaller amounts of money from three other elderly or ill veterans, totaling to more than $15,000, Gerace said.
Gerace said the stolen money was used for shopping, restaurants and to travel to various national and worldwide cities, including London, Cancun, Zurich, Vienna, the Maldives and others.
Both misappropriating funds as a fiduciary and making false statements are federal crimes, and Rivers faced up to five years in prison for each charge.
The ongoing case is being investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General and Central Field Office, Gerace said.
