Former U.S. soldier faked his death for ten years, active and vigorous when fighting, evaded arrest by pretending to be dead, Oscar owes him an award

A veteran from Maine, USA, was charged with defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of more than $244,000 in disability benefits, and even fabricated a drowning disappearance to avoid investigation.

51-year-old Gregory P. Hayman claimed in 2023 that he had lost the function of both feet since 2004, needed a wheelchair, and was completely unable to walk or work.

The VA then determined that he was 100% disabled due to service, and has been paying him high benefits since 2016.

However, investigators found that things were not as simple as they seemed.

In February 2024, VA Office of Inspector General agents showed him evidence during an interview, revealing that he had been walking, driving, shopping, and even fighting with people over the years.

After being exposed, he once admitted that his condition had improved, but two months later he suddenly disappeared, leaving a canoe and personal items in a river near the U.S.-Canada border, which looked like a drowning accident.

Initially, law enforcement conducted a large-scale search, thinking he really had an accident, but soon found suspicious signs at the scene, suspecting it was a staged incident.

On August 21, 2025, Hayman was finally arrested at a Amtrak station in Missouri. He first reported a false name, but was soon identified.

According to court documents, he did have some injury records during his service.

He served in the U.S. military from 1993 to 1997, and then remained in the Army National Guard until 2005.

As early as 1996, he had applied for benefits, claiming deafness, knee injuries, and back problems, but most of his applications were rejected, and he only received a 0% disability rating for a broken finger.

Until 2004, he re-applied, and the VA gave him a 40% disability rating in 2005; in 2006, the VA also recognized that he had lost the use of his left foot, and approved car modification and assistive device subsidies.

In 2008, he further claimed he could not work and had difficulty walking, and after a doctor's examination, he was diagnosed with paraplegia and required long-term use of a wheelchair.

By 2009, the VA directly determined that he was 100% disabled due to service, which became the basis for his subsequent high-level benefits.

However, substantial evidence from 2019 to 2023 showed that he was seen walking normally in Maine, without any assistance tools in daily life.

Even in the summer of 2019, he got involved in two fights in Washington State, with surveillance footage showing him pushing and beating neighbors, which was completely inconsistent with his claim of total disability.

Based on these investigation results, prosecutors believe that Hayman may have indeed suffered from some knee and back injuries in the past, but not severe enough to lose the function of both feet.

His initial 40% disability benefits may have been reasonable, but later he exaggerated his condition to obtain higher compensation, even fabricating the appearance of paraplegia in front of doctors, leading the VA to rate him as 100% disabled in 2009.

After being exposed, he started to fake his death. It must be said that Oscar owes him an award.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841680169850883/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.