The office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced the arrest of a man accused of defrauding veterans families. (Photo: Pi.1415926535)
On Aug. 10, the office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the arrest of a man accused of defrauding military and veterans families in addition to both the University of California and California State University systems.
From Aug. 2018 to Feb. 2022, Don Azul allegedly convinced over 40 families that they were eligible for the California Department of Veterans Affairs College Fee Waiver program. Azul would then have the families pay $500 or more under the guise of a processing fee before instructing them to send a falsified approval letter to California public universities that waived tuition expenses.
In total, Azul is potentially responsible for the theft of at least $30,000 from military and veterans families and at least $500,000 in public funds. Azul’s current charges include 25 counts of identity theft, 20 counts of forgery, and seven counts of grand theft.
None of the families that Azul contacted were actually eligible for the CalVet program. The status of the students affected by the falsified letters is unclear.
The CalVet College Fee Waiver program waives tuition expenses for students attending any UC, CSU, or State of California Community College. There are several paths to eligibility, but most require that students be the spouse or dependent of a veteran or service member who suffered a service-related death or disability. Spouses who remarry are not eligible for program benefits.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, veterans, service members, and their families are among the most targeted for scams. In 2021, military families are estimated to have lost over $100 million to fraud.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.
