Investigators told the court there was probable cause to believe the couple committed crimes including wire fraud, identity theft and money laundering. Starting around 2014, according to the affidavit, Pelayo registered soldiers around the country for subsidies of $255 or $265 a month. In some months, the affidavit states, the subsidies gave the couple an income of more than $200,000. Pelayo spent more than two decades with the Army and Army Reserve, including deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia-Herzegovina, according to an Army spokesperson. On March 24, investigators say they watched the couple load vehicles onto trailers and a flatbed truck.

Source: ABC News July 16, 2020 16:47 UTC