GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Pennsylvania man will spend six and a half years behind bars for conspiring to steal medical products from the Medical Center at Battle Creek Veterans Affairs (VA).
Steven William Anderson Jr., 45, trafficked more than 7,900 boxes of diabetes test strips with help from 53-year-old Battle Creek resident Jennifer Robertson and 57-year-old Jerome resident Michelle McAllister, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office – Western District of Michigan (DOJ). The value of the stolen test strips exceeds $427,000.
We’re told Robertson was employed at the VA’s pharmacy when she began stealing test strips in mid-2017 and selling them to McAllister. The latter in, turn, sent them to Anderson. They were caught in November 2019.
The DOJ says Anderson was convicted by a jury of 12 charges in June 2023. The others pleaded guilty and have since been sentenced.
“Anderson trafficked stolen goods while pocketing thousands of dollars in ill-gotten gain,” says U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Not only did Anderson steal from the government, but he diverted medical products intended for veterans who faithfully served our nation. Today’s sentence brings a measure of justice for taxpayers and those who serve the United States in uniform.”
Anderson was sentenced to 78 months, according to the DOJ. He agreed to pay back the total value of the stolen strips in addition to $1.2 million toward resolving civil claims.
