Man accused of spending money mother stole from Veterans Affairs, Michigan Treasury pleads no contest

WYANDOTTE, Mich. (FOX 2) - A man accused of spending money that authorities say he knew his mother stole from Veterans Affairs and the Michigan Treasury pleaded no contest, Attorney General Dana Nessel said Tuesday.

Stephen Decker, 34, of Wyandotte, entered the plea for two counts of receiving stolen property in the amount of $1,000-$20,000.

He also agreed to a restitution order of $28,506.

Authorities allege that Decker's mother, Sophia Quill, worked with another woman, Melissa Flores, to steal $470,000 from the Michigan Department of Treasury and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs between 2013 and 2019. Decker allegedly received proceeds from the scheme and used some of the money to conceal property used to conduct the fraud.

Flores is currently in prison and was ordered to pay $110,000 restitution.

Quill, who currently lives in Florida, was previously charged with conducting a criminal enterprise, four counts of false pretenses $50,000-$100,000, two counts of false pretenses $20,000-$50,000, and two counts of false pretenses $1,000-$20,000. Nessel's office plans to request extradition back to Michigan.

"Defrauding public agencies, veterans, and their families will not be tolerated," Nessel said. "This plea not only holds a guilty party accountable but will also help the essential veteran resource departments recoup some of the funds that were taken."