This Tri-City couple scammed a veterans help fund for years

Two people have been arrested for stealing from a Franklin County fund meant to help veterans.

Edward E. Reiner, 65, and Patricia K. Gable, 60, were arrested Friday at the county courthouse when they came to pick up a $250 check from the Veterans Assistance Fund.

Investigators say the Pasco couple has been scamming the fund since at least 2012 to the tune of several thousand dollars. They were booked in the Franklin County jail on suspicion of fraud.

Reiner has a long criminal history in Umatilla County and the Tri-Cities. Court records show most of his cases involved guilty pleas to drug-related charges.

The fund is designed to assist indigent veterans, their families, or the families of deceased veterans with immediate emergency needs, such as food, utility bills, rent and burial costs.

Money for the fund comes from property taxes. The auditor’s office took in about $78,000 in 2017 and spent about $54,000.

The fund also designates local veterans organizations, such as the VFW or American Legion, as places where veterans can go and file a claim for help.

Joe Iwan of American Legion Post 34 said Gable’s late husband was a veteran.

However, but authorities say Gable was claiming housing assistance for a unit she didn’t live in.

Gable did not have any criminal history with Washington.

The Franklin County Auditor’s Office says it picked up on the scam through an audit Jan. 31 and immediately reported it to the sheriff’s office.

This story was originally published February 2, 2018 at 12:58 PM with the headline "This Tri-City couple scammed a veterans help fund for years."