Phoebe Judge

By some estimates, 400,000 Vietnamese people died from exposure. The Vietnamese Red Cross estimates that 3 million people were harmed, including hundreds of thousands of babies born with birth defects. In 1988, an Air Force researcher wrote a letter to Senator Tom Daschle, quote, We were aware of the potential for damage.

However, because the material was to be used on the enemy, none of us were overly concerned. We never considered a scenario in which our own personnel would become contaminated with the herbicide. But a lot of U.S. soldiers were exposed, an estimated 2.6 million. In 1991, Congress began to offer funding and treatment to American soldiers who served in Vietnam and had certain diseases.

However, because the material was to be used on the enemy, none of us were overly concerned. We never considered a scenario in which our own personnel would become contaminated with the herbicide. But a lot of U.S. soldiers were exposed, an estimated 2.6 million. In 1991, Congress began to offer funding and treatment to American soldiers who served in Vietnam and had certain diseases.

And they later introduced a special program to help children whose parents were deployed to Vietnam and whose exposure may have caused the child to be born with spina bifida, a condition where the backbone and spinal cord don't properly develop. Those children can get benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. One of them was Kelly Wriston.

And they later introduced a special program to help children whose parents were deployed to Vietnam and whose exposure may have caused the child to be born with spina bifida, a condition where the backbone and spinal cord don't properly develop. Those children can get benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. One of them was Kelly Wriston.

Tom Dominski first heard about Kelly Wriston in 2017. He's the resident agent in charge at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General in Pittsburgh. He was brought in because something didn't seem right with the way the health care worker, Julie Wheeler, was billing the government.

Tom Dominski first heard about Kelly Wriston in 2017. He's the resident agent in charge at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General in Pittsburgh. He was brought in because something didn't seem right with the way the health care worker, Julie Wheeler, was billing the government.

Kelly Wriston and Julie Wheeler already knew each other.

Kelly Wriston and Julie Wheeler already knew each other.

She was being paid $736 a day.

She was being paid $736 a day.

And she was never there.

And she was never there.

So tell me a little bit more about how did she get caught? I mean, how did the red flag happen?

So tell me a little bit more about how did she get caught? I mean, how did the red flag happen?

Impossible.

Impossible.

When did you reach out to Julie Wheeler or was that the next step?

When did you reach out to Julie Wheeler or was that the next step?

They didn't know where she was.