Skip to content
News
Link copied to clipboard

Ex-N.J. veterans' official pleads guilty in tax case

Vietnam veteran William Devereaux says he has never gotten over seeing his best friend killed during a rocket attack on the 82d Airborne Division.

Vietnam veteran William Devereaux says he has never gotten over seeing his best friend killed during a rocket attack on the 82d Airborne Division.

"I only found the top of his head and his boots with the feet in them," Devereaux, 64, wrote in a statement he released yesterday morning. "I was never the same AGAIN!"

Minutes earlier, in Superior Court in Camden, Devereaux appeared more humble as he pleaded guilty to theft related to tax payments.

Devereaux, a former official with the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, apologized for what he called "delusional" and "paranoid" decisions, and for embellishing his military disabilities so he could avoid paying local property taxes.

Assistant Camden County Prosecutor Leslie Dicker said Devereaux applied for benefits related to war injuries only after he began his job of helping other veterans apply for benefits in 2002.

Devereaux pleaded guilty to theft under an agreement with prosecutors, who will recommend a 30-day jail sentence that he can serve under house arrest. If the deal is accepted by Judge Irvin J. Snyder, who set sentencing for Jan. 29, Devereaux also will serve five years' probation.

He has surrendered his job, can never work for the state again, and has paid $54,142 in taxes he owed to Laurel Springs for 2002 through 2008, when he improperly claimed the military exemption, said his attorney, Dennis Wixted.

Additionally, Devereaux may not work with veterans in any capacity for at least five years. Had he gone to trial and been convicted, he could have faced up to five years in prison.

"I'm very, very sorry for what has happened," Devereaux told the judge at yesterday's hearing, after arriving in a black jacket emblazoned with the 82d Airborne emblem in red stitching. He asked for "compassion and forgiveness."

His troubles, however, are not over. Camden County Prosecutor Warren Faulk said federal authorities were continuing the investigation.

Devereaux was arrested a year ago, when he worked as the director of veterans programs for the state.

Devereaux first worked for the Camden County Office of Veterans Affairs, in 2001. In 2004, Gov. Jim McGreevey appointed him director of veterans' programs. In that position, Devereaux helped soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

It was at that time, prosecutors said, that Devereaux learned how to work the system, applying for the tax exemptions and claiming he was 100 percent disabled from the war.

Devereaux, in attending numerous military functions, wore a decorated uniform that included high military honors, including a Purple Heart, a Soldier's Medal, and a Bronze Star. He also received $34,000 in military benefits federal authorities are reviewing, officials said.

He claimed he was injured as a paratrooper and artilleryman in Vietnam and later used incorrect military records to qualify for property-tax exemptions in Laurel Springs.

"It's outrageous that someone who worked for the Veterans Administration would be engaged in this type of behavior," said Faulk.

Devereaux never received any of the medals he claimed, officials said. Devereaux agreed, calling his behavior "despicable," but said he never faked being in combat or his war-related disabilities when he served with the 82d Airborne.

"Our unit arrived in Vietnam on Feb. 13, 1968, at Chu Clai," Devereaux wrote in his statement. "Within three hours of landing, we took incoming 122mm rockets and were attacked by Viet Cong from the southeast and were pressed into fire fights. I had been administratively trained and was completely unready to face this type of action, however I did then and for the next five months."

During this time, he wrote, his best friend was killed 50 feet from the spot where Devereaux took cover during the rocket attack.

Authorities said it was possible Devereaux had seen combat; according to military records, he joined the Army in May 1967 and was honorably discharged in May 1970. The records show he was assigned as a payroll-distribution specialist to Vietnam for four months in 1968. Devereaux's lies make it difficult to believe any of his story, officials said.

Initially, Devereaux said, he never told anyone about war-related problems. He said he started treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder in 1989 and was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2000, which he said was related to Agent Orange.

Although the military never gave him a 100 percent permanent disability, which entitles him to additional benefits, Devereaux said he had applied for one and still was waiting for a determination.

He knew, he said, it was wrong to apply for the tax exemptions and claim medals he never received.

"I hated how the VA was treating me and the thousands of other Vietnam vets in like situations," Devereaux wrote, adding, "I apologize profusely for my irrational and despicable behavior in this case. However, I can assure you that it was not done with a clear heart or mind."