S. 296Senate118th Congress (2023-2025)In Committee

Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2023

A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide an additional tool to prevent certain frauds against veterans, and for other purposes.

AI-Generated Summary

Updated January 20, 2026 at 3:13 AM UTC

The Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2023 adds a new federal crime that targets people who knowingly try to cheat veterans out of their benefits. It makes such fraud punishable by a fine, up to five years in prison, or both, and applies to any federal benefit a veteran, dependent, or survivor receives. The law is aimed at protecting veterans and their families from benefit scams.

Key Provisions

Creates a new Section 1352 in Title 18 that makes it illegal to knowingly execute or attempt a scheme to defraud a veteran or a dependent of veterans’ benefits, with penalties of fines and up to five years imprisonment.
Defines “veteran” as in Title 38 and defines “veterans’ benefits” as any federal benefit provided to a veteran, dependent, or survivor.
Updates the table of sections for Chapter 63 of Title 18 to include the new Section 1352.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Judiciary Committee

February 7, 2023

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

February 7, 2023

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Judiciary Committee

February 7, 2023

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued February 7, 2023

118th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 296

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 7, 2023

Mr. Rubio (for himself, Ms. Cortez Masto, and Mr. Scott of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide an additional tool to prevent certain frauds against veterans, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2023.

Additional tool to prevent certain frauds against veterans

(a)

In general

Chapter 63 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

1352.

Fraud regarding veterans’ benefits

(a)

Whoever knowingly executes, or attempts to execute, any scheme or artifice to defraud an individual of veterans’ benefits, or in connection with obtaining veteran’s benefits for that individual, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both.

(b)

In this section—

(1)

the term veteran has the meaning given that term in section 101 of title 38; and

(2)

the term veterans’ benefits means any benefit provided by Federal law for a veteran or a dependent or survivor of a veteran.

(b)

Clerical amendment

The table of sections for chapter 63 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

1352. Fraud regarding veterans’ benefits.