A Cherryville woman has been charged with defrauding the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs of more than $22,000.

Gaston County Police said Friday 30-year-old Amber Nicole Chapman had been charged with obtaining property by false pretense, computer fraud and forgery.

Police say Chapman is the former caretaker of a VA beneficiary.

From May 2012 to December 2013, officials say Chapman continued to collect and withdraw benefit deposits with a fraudulently obtained debit card after the beneficiary had died. Police say those checks totaled roughly $22,000 in taxpayer money.

Chapman was released on a $10,000 bond, and it wasn't immediately known if she had an attorney.

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