A Tucson couple has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Defense, prosecutors say.
Richard Stefon Ramroop, 35, and his spouse, Manuel George Madrid, 32, face a 12-count indictment on charges that include conspiracy to commit theft of government property, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona said in a news release.
Ramroop is a staff sergeant in the Air Force, the release said.
From January 2022 through about December 2025, Ramroop used his position in the pharmacy at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to buy thousands of medical devices using taxpayer money. He and Madrid then resold the devices, pocketing the money, the release says.
From 2022 through 2025, bank accounts controlled by Ramroop and Madrid received over $11 million in fraud proceeds through wire transfers, Automated Clearing House deposits, and other credits from companies engaged in the resale of medical test strips and devices, the release said.
The orders of the diverted medical devices cost the government over $3 million, court records say.
The indictment also alleges that Ramroop and Madrid used the proceeds to purchase luxury vehicles and real estate. That allegedly included a million-dollar home in Tucson, $141,443 on a new 2024 Porsche Cayenne Sport Utility Vehicle and $195,397 on a new BMW i7 Sport Utility Vehicle. The two vehicles were among those seized when a search warrant was served in January, the release said.
“The defendants allegedly stole millions in taxpayer dollars from the U.S. Department of War to bankroll a lavish lifestyle, diverting critical resources away from their intended purpose,” U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said in the news release. “Every dollar taken through fraud is a dollar denied to the mission it was meant to support."
The pair faces several years behind bars if convicted.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tucson is handling the prosecution.
