Vietnam vet pretended to be blind to defraud VA

DENVER — A Colorado man has been sentenced to a year in prison for defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs out of nearly $1.3 million by pretending to be blind.

Mike Blea, of Northglenn, was sentenced Wednesday and ordered to pay the VA $1,273,180 in restitution.

Investigators say Blea is a Vietnam veteran who started getting VA disability payments in 1969 for visual impairment.

He did have a minor problem with his eyesight but started to exaggerate how bad it was.

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Blea had eye exams outside of the VA system that showed his vision could be corrected to 20/30 in one eye and 20/40 in another.

He also had a driver’s license and drove regularly.

U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn said after the sentence that “justice may be blind, but Mr. Blea isn’t.”

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