YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
An Ozark man has been sentenced to prison for Social Security fraud after being convicted last year, though he is maintaining his innocence with hopes to appeal the ruling.
Michael Sylvara, 39, was sentenced Nov. 6 to 27 months in prison by Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, according to online court records. Sylvara also is subject to three years of supervised probation and roughly $42,000 in restitution.
Sylvara was convicted in March 2023 by a Kansas City jury on one count of Social Security fraud and one count of perjury.
The jury last year found Sylvara guilty of directing his disabled father's Social Security benefits toward personal expenses, such as utilities, insurance, student loans and real estate agent association fees. Sylvara oversaw his father's benefits from 2016 to 2019, and his father is now deceased, according to past reporting. During a previous trial in October 2022, Sylvara testified in his own defense, and the result was a hung jury.
Sylvara in 2021 opened Volleyball Beach Ozark with Andrew and Madisen Bettlach, after the alleged crimes that were prosecuted by the federal government are said to have taken place. Sylvara and Madisen Bettlach are siblings.
In a statement provided to Springfield Business Journal, Andrew and Madisen Bettlach said Sylvara was "wrongfully convicted of Social Security fraud and perjury, charges that are greatly misaligned with his character and actions." The Bettlachs say Sylvara sold his ownership stake in Volleyball Beach Ozark to them in August.
"Michael's innocence is strongly backed by the unwavering support of his family," the statement reads. "During the trial, critical evidence that could have demonstrated Michael’s innocence was conveniently lost by the government. Furthermore, the government withheld documents that show all Social Security funds were accounted for."
The statement additionally provided information that Sylvara previously disclosed in an interview with Springfield Business Journal last year.
Sylvara last year said he took care of his father, who he described as an alcoholic, for three years and served as his payee. He said his dad met a woman on Facebook from Iowa who convinced him to sign documentation indicating he was able to handle his own Social Security affairs. Sylvara said he was not, as his father would use the money on alcohol.
After that relationship ended, Sylvara said he got his dad an apartment, at which time he was able to receive Social Security payments himself.
"He ended up drinking himself to death shortly after that," Sylvara told SBJ last year.
Sylvara last year alleged in the interview that if the state had not granted his father the right to the Social Security funds directly, he might still be alive.
The statement sent from Andrew and Madisen Bettlach says further work is underway.
"We remain faithful in our belief that Michael Sylvara’s innocence will be vindicated through an appeal or other legal avenues. His character and actions speak volumes, and we are committed to ensuring that justice prevails and that the full truth of this case is revealed," the statement reads.
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