NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WWLP) - A New Bedford man was sentenced to prison in federal court on Friday for stealing over $450,000 in disability benefits that were meant for a Marine veteran with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Joseph Smith, 71, was found guilty of stealing monthly disability checks from a 20-year veteran alongside multiple accomplices. The victim of this crime was diagnosed with ALS in 2015 and was approved for disability benefits by the United States Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), at which time they awarded him $8,318 in monthly payments. Wanted fugitive in “gruesome” Springfield home invasion case arrested in Florida The victim lived with Smith's relative at the time, and the checks were mailed to their home in New Bedford. When he was hospitalized for ALS between 2015 and 2020, Smith and others received the monthly VBA checks and deposited them into their own bank accounts and fraudulent ones under the name of the veteran. Smith would then withdraw the funds in cash and use the money for personal use. Over $450,000 in disability benefits was stolen from the victim by Smith and others. Smith was charged in June 2024, and in September 2024 he pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government benefits and one count of conspiracy to steal government benefits. He was sentenced on Friday to 23 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. Local News Headlines Three Lowell men arrested as suspects in Billerica VFW break-in and theft TikTok to go dark on Sunday in latest update New Bedford man sentenced to prison for stealing veteran’s disability benefits Chicopee police investigating incident that closed down Trilby Avenue WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.