Five indicted in $20M veteran charity fraud scheme in Cuyahoga County
- mdaviscvono
- Jul 8, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun. 14, 2025, 6:08 a.m.|Published: Jun. 13, 2025, 4:55 p.m.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - A Cuyahoga County grand jury has indicted five people and accused them of using a fake charitable organization to exploit veterans and defraud the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs out of $20 million.
Richard Rompala, 64, the founder of Senior Veterans Administration Services (SVAS), faces 19 counts, including theft and racketeering-related charges, prosecutors said Friday.
Along with Rompala and the organization itself, four employees face related felony charges: Carolina Riemer, 72, Karen Kral, 47, Gina Ayala, 61, and Mary Lou Griffin, 68.
“Defrauding the VA of $20 million by exploiting our veterans is despicable,” said county Prosecutor Michael O’Malley in a statement.
“These defendants rolled the dice believing they could get away with it. Thanks to the diligent work of our law enforcement partners, they lost the bet.”
State incorporation records list Senior Veterans Administration Services as a nonprofit in Parma, founded in 2016.
According to prosecutors, the agency contacted veterans and falsely informed them of their eligibility for benefits. The organization then falsified documents to make veterans appear eligible to the VA for benefits.
After receiving financial benefits from the VA, Rompala’s organization would demand payment through a separate entity, prosecutors said. They would either require full payment or take a large percentage before releasing the remaining benefits to the veterans.
Rompala was arrested Friday by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in Naples, Florida. His indictment includes charges of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, conspiracy, aggravated theft, telecommunications fraud, prohibited acts and practices for charities, tampering with records, money laundering, filing incomplete, false and fraudulent returns and grand theft.
The other employees face various charges including tampering with records, receiving stolen property, and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
The investigation was a joint effort between the VA Office of Inspector General, the Ohio attorney general’s office and other agencies.
“Hiding behind the flag while stealing from those who served under it isn’t just fraud — it’s disgraceful,” Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement.
The case is part of a nationwide initiative to combat fraud against veterans and the VA, authorities said.
Court records do not list attorneys for the five.
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