Morris Leader

Parsippany, NJ — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) released the following statement after the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey announced charges against Caz Craffy, a former U.S. Army financial counselor who defrauded Gold Star Families out of millions of dollars. 

Last month, Congresswoman Sherrill secured a bipartisan amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that requires the Department of Defense to develop a verification process for financial counselor annual disclosures to validate that those individuals are ‘free of conflict’ and fully poised to provide the best, impartial services to servicemembers and their families. This legislation aims to prevent someone like Mr. Craffy from being able to take advantage of Gold Star Families in the future. 

“We have an obligation to support our Gold Star Families who have lost loved one who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Rather than an honor that obligation, Caz Craffy saw it as an opportunity to enrich himself and steal from these vulnerable families in mourning. I applaud the U.S. Attorney’s Office for pursuing this case,” said Rep. Sherrill. “Since this story broke, I have worked tirelessly to close the legal gaps Mr. Craffy slipped through to hide his schemes and my legislation in the NDAA will stop people from preying on families in the future.” 

“On July 7, the U.S. Attorney’s office did the right thing–they arrested a criminal who stole from my patriotic clients, all Gold Star families. The fraud that was committed on these vulnerable Gold Star families was despicable. We appreciate Congresswoman Sherrill’s commitment to protecting our soldiers and their families. We’re grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s office, and all the Federal agents that dedicated their time and resources to prosecute this case and seek justice for my clients,” said Natalie Khawam, attorney for the victims. 

Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the Navy for almost a decade. After leaving the Navy, she went on to attend law school and eventually served at the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. She currently represents New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District and is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. 

Original source can be found here