RICHMOND, Va. — A federal judge sentenced a New Kent County man to nine years in prison for stealing over $6.7 million from a state program that helps families whose children suffer brain injuries during birth.
John Hunter Raines served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Virginia Birth Injury Program for nearly three years. The program was created to provide financial support to families whose children suffered brain injuries during birth and prevent malpractice lawsuits.
Prosecutors say while Raines was CFO, he stole $6.7 million from the program to fund a lavish lifestyle of gambling, private jets and buying gold and silver. He bought several vehicles, including eight luxury golf carts for over $160,000. He also paid at least $29,000 to an "intimate partner" and tens of thousands of dollars to a bank account in his wife's name.
The investigation revealed Raines also spent more than $125,000 for private jet travel for his friends and family, including over $34,000 to travel with his wife and his friends to Nashville for three days in a private jet.
"It's a heinous crime and I was shocked," Jack Francis said. Francis enrolled in the program to help his 4-year-old son, Jackson.
Raines told the court he suffered from gambling and alcohol addiction at the time and is now seeking help. He did at times glance at program families packed in for the hearing and said he was sorry.
"His comments, I mean, I hear you, he kind of made the best case that he could in his circumstance, and but I feel like it was nothing excuses this," Francis said.
Raines asked the court for a sentence below the guidelines of four to five years, while prosecutors sought more.
The judge went above even that request and sentenced Raines to nine years, noting it wasn't the first time an employee of the program stole money from it, and that Raines treated the program like his own ATM. The judge said he wanted to send a message to others who may consider doing this same thing in the future.
"If things work to work how they are supposed to, this should have been caught a long time ago," Francis said. "If you steal from it, they're going to throw the book at you or more. Which, in this case, it was more."
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