Overview
- Sommers was arrested Thursday in Pittsfield and charged federally with making false statements, remains in custody, and is scheduled to appear in court Monday.
- Charging documents allege the scheme began in 1994 and continued for more than 30 years, with the identity last used on Feb. 20 at the VA Medical Center in Northampton.
- Investigators say he obtained thousands in Social Security benefits plus nearly $30,000 in Department of Veterans Affairs medical care and prescriptions.
- Authorities report he had been living under the victim’s name at Soldier On, a transitional housing facility for veterans in Pittsfield.
- Prosecutors link the stolen identity to multiple New York convictions from 1994 to 2011, and say the current count carries a potential five-year prison term, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine if convicted.