The owner of a Mississippi coast barber school and salon owes the federal government nearly $1 million after a judge found she knowingly defrauded the Department of Veterans Affairs by falsely claiming to teach classes to veterans and grossly inflating the cost for those who enrolled.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides educational assistance benefits for eligible veterans and members of the armed services who enroll in qualified education or training programs. The VA pays benefits for tuition and fees directly to qualifying schools and provides qualifying veteran students a monthly housing allowance and stipend for books and supplies.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Thursday April Tucker Beard, owner of April’s Mane Attraction salon and April’s Mane Attraction Academy, was found to have falsely claimed her academy provided 1,500 hours of class instruction to veterans and charged veterans on the GI Bill tuition of $22,400, while non-GI Bill students were only charged $2,400.

Evidence showed Beard did not regularly teach classes, most of the veterans on the GI Bill never received certificates of completion, and they did not take the state tests required to be a licensed barber in Mississippi.

As a result of the fraudulent claims, Beard received $235,734 in payments for classes and training for veterans which she never provided. Under the federal False Claims Act, the U.S. government is entitled to three times the amount lost as a result of the fraud.

A federal court judge in April ordered Beard and her associated businesses to pay the government $916,392.

“The Post-9/11 GI Bill is an important part of our promise to aid our military veterans and their families for honorably serving our country,” said Todd Gee, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi. “This type of fraud drains funds from vital veterans’ programs and this office remains committed to holding offenders who abuse and exploit these programs accountable.”