A U.S. Army veteran’s ex-wife insisted she was his surviving spouse after he died so she could steal his military benefits, federal prosecutors said.
Miranda Rachel Briggs of Rincon, Georgia, defrauded the Department of Veterans Affairs out of nearly $130,000 after she tried hiding the divorce, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
Now Briggs, 34, has pleaded guilty to fraudulently claiming her ex-husband’s benefits, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a Jan. 15 news release.
Her defense attorney, Kurtis C. Bronston, declined McClatchy News’ request for comment Jan. 16.
Briggs is the founder of Fight the War Within Foundation, a nonprofit that provides resources to individuals who have PTSD from their military service or work as a first responder, WJCL reported.
A bio for Briggs on the organization’s website says she founded the nonprofit after “the loss of her warrior, SPC Garrett Briggs,” who’s her ex-husband.
The organization didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment Jan. 16.
The scheme to steal benefits
Briggs filed to divorce her husband in September 2016, less than a year after they got married, according to court documents. The divorce was finalized in August 2017, an indictment shows.
When they got married, she kept her maiden name, Fisher, prosecutors said. She changed her last name to Briggs after she claimed her ex-husband’s benefits, according to prosecutors.
Two weeks before his death, Briggs certified that she was divorced when she filed for bankruptcy in January 2018, prosecutors said.
Within weeks of his death, Briggs claimed VA benefits and maintained her marriage never ended, prosecutors said. Following the divorce, her ex-husband had her removed as a recipient of his benefits, according to prosecutors.
Though the VA initially denied Briggs’ claim, she persisted and “submitted additional paperwork claiming she and G.B. were married until his death in 2018,” prosecutors said.
Then the VA allowed her to start receiving benefits, according to prosecutors.
Afterward, she had her last name legally changed to Briggs, prosecutors said.
In 2021, Briggs became the administrator of her ex-husband’s estate and filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the U.S. government over his death, according to prosecutors and the indictment.
She sought $7,350,000 while pretending to be his surviving spouse, the indictment says.
Her lawsuit was ultimately dismissed, court records show.
In March 2023, the Chatham County Probate Court in Georgia discovered Briggs had divorced her husband and removed her as the administrator of his estate, prosecutors said.
Before the VA learned this, the agency paid her about $49,000 in medical benefits and about $80,000 in surviving spouse benefits, according to prosecutors.
“Programs that financially benefit surviving family members of deceased veterans are designed to provide a safety net to those survivors,” said U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg in a statement. “(Briggs’) guilty plea demonstrates the tenacity of investigators and prosecutors in dismantling this scheme.”
Now, Briggs is facing up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A date for her sentencing hearing wasn’t listed in court records on Jan. 16.
Rincon, where Briggs is from, is about a 25-mile drive northwest from Savannah.
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