CFO of Virginia Birth-Related Injury Compensation Program Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison After Alleged Embezzlement

A federal judge sentences CFO of Virginia Birth Injury Program John Hunter Raines to 9 years in prison after he allegedly stole over $6.7 million from the state-funded program to support his lifestyle. The program was created to help families financially whose children suffered brain injuries at birth.

A man from New Kent County, Virginia was sentenced to nine years in prison, charged with money laundering and mail fraud for embezzling and stealing millions in funds while serving as Chief Financial Officer of the Virginia Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Program for over three years. The program is intended to provide financial resources for families whose child experienced a brain or spinal cord injury at birth that resulted in a disability—covering costs that insurance and other medical programs may not.

John Hunter Raines, who oversaw the financial aspects of the compensation program, reportedly stole over $6.7 million from funds that were meant to help families manage the financial stress of a birth injury. He allegedly used his access to the program’s bank account to initiate 59 separate wire transactions where he reportedly used the funds to live a lavish lifestyle of gambling, flying on private jets, and buying gold and silver and several vehicles, among other expenses.

During the hearing, Raines apologized for his behavior admitting to gambling and alcohol addiction. Many families who sought help from the compensation program were seated in the crowd at the hearing. The Judge’s sentence of nine years in prison was far above a typical sentence of four-five years for similar cases, hoping to send a message to other people thinking about doing the same thing.

If Your Child Was Injured at Birth, You May Have Legal Options

Grant & Eisenhofer’s experienced birth injury attorneys advocate and fight for families to hold medical professionals accountable for their mistakes. We help families like yours obtain financial resources to help their children get what they need for the rest of their lives. We proudly serve clients nationwide. Fill out the contact form to discuss your situation with our team today. Your call is free and confidential.