Criminal Investigative Updates

Christina Nolte, of Bridgeport, West Virginia, was indicted on one count of theft of public money, property, or records; three counts of making false statements; and one count of student loan fraud. According to the indictment, Nolte falsified medical records to receive disability benefits from the VA to which she was not entitled. Nolte is also accused of using her fraudulent VA disability rating to unlawfully obtain a discharge of her federal student loan debt for $242,528. The indictment seeks forfeiture and a money judgment in the amount of $360,466.38. The VA OIG, Department of Education OIG, and FBI investigated this case.

Ishwanzya Rivers, of Cincinnati, Ohio, was arrested on charges she misappropriated money that she was managing on behalf of four veterans. Allegedly, Rivers made false statements to the federal government to cover up her theft and stole more than $133,000 from one elderly veteran who lived in the VA hospital in Cincinnati. She misappropriated the victim’s money at least 45 times and stole smaller amounts of money from three other elderly or infirm veterans, totaling more than $15,000. Rivers used the money for shopping, at restaurants, and to travel to New Orleans, Montego Bay, Cancun, London, Panama, Zurich, Vienna, and the Maldives. The VA OIG is investigating this case.

Dr. Kingsley R. Chin, the founder, president, and CEO of SpineFrontier, Inc., a Massachusetts-based medical device company, was sentenced to one year of supervised release with the first six months to be served in home confinement. Chin was also ordered to pay a fine of $9,500, in addition to $40,000 he agreed to pay as part of a related civil settlement, and $855,000 that his company, KICVentures, agreed to pay as part of the same settlement. In May 2025, Chin pleaded guilty to one count of false statements. Under the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, device manufacturers are required to report any payments or transfers of value to physicians. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services maintains a database, via the Open Payments website, which makes all such payments or transfers of value publicly accessible. SpineFrontier offered surgeons the opportunity to engage in purported consulting on product development. Specifically, Chin directed his employees to report the payment of fees paid to a surgeon as consulting fees that were not compensation for actual consulting work. The VA OIG, Health and Human Services OIG, US Postal Inspection Service, and FBI investigated this case.

Michael Joyce and Sarah Joyce, aka Sarah Shultis, both formerly of Rochester, New York, now living in New Jersey, were indicted on charges of theft of government funds, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Michael Joyce submitted claims for VA disability compensation based on several disabilities, including PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and a back issue. He was awarded a 100 percent disability rating. Additionally, Michael applied for and was granted status of permanent and total disability, which removes an individual’s obligation to continue getting re-evaluated for various disabilities and making him eligible for other veteran benefits. Sarah Joyce, applied for payments from the VA Caregiver Support Program, claiming Michael was wholly reliant upon her for life tasks. She received payments totaling more than $250,000. A review of Michael’s personnel file and interviews with investigators found inconsistencies in his claims. Subsequent investigations and surveillances documented on multiple occasions Michael walking with no apparent difficulty or assistance, driving, and performing household maintenance tasks. The VA OIG and the SSA OIG investigated this case.             

Ronaldo Solano and Adriana Solano of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, were sentenced for separate schemes to defraud their workers’ compensation insurance carriers, the Small Business Administration (SBA), and their mortgage lender. The couple operated a roofing and construction company in Framingham, Massachusetts, and avoided workers’ compensation insurance premiums by underreporting payroll and paying workers through an uninsured third company. Separately, the Solanos submitted a loan application on behalf of their business to the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, which provided pandemic relief under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. They received the funds, from which they used more than $825,000 for a down payment towards a luxury home. Then the Solanos borrowed more money from a mortgage lender to fund the purchase of the house. The VA OIG and the FBI investigated this case in connection with the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Fraud Task Force.