A man who stole the identity of a decorated Army soldier to obtain veterans benefits was sentenced Friday to two and a half years in federal prison.

Joseph W. Watson, 53, a dishonorably discharged sailor, also stole the Army veteran's credit card and racked up nearly $20,000 in debt, according to court documents.

Watson stole the identity of the soldier, identified in court documents by the initials "R.D.," who in 2007 was living in Maple Valley, working at Boeing and had health insurance through his work. Watson, at the time, was an alcoholic who had been dishonorably discharged from the Navy in 1989 for desertion and criminal conduct, according to court papers.

Watson used R.D.'s identity to obtain medical treatment at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Nashville, Tenn. In March 2008, he moved to Seattle and began attending the VA facilities in Seattle and American Lake. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Hermanns said the value of the benefits Watson obtained exceeded $24,000.

Watson's defense attorney, Lynn Hartfield of the Federal Public Defender's Office, said the case presented some unusual circumstance and was not a run-of-the-mill identity theft.

"What makes this an unusual fraud case is that Mr. Watson did not commit the crime out of personal greed, but, rather, largely to obtain medical and social services," she wrote.

Watson, who had relapsed and begun drinking again after 11 years of sobriety, went to the VA to obtain treatment for his alcoholism and depression, Hartfield wrote.

Ashamed of his earlier dishonorable discharge, Hartfield said Watson "took on the identity of an honorably discharged veteran, almost believing in a misplaced way that he could redeem himself in that manner."

But Hermanns pointed out that Watson's "act of stealing R.D.'s identity went well beyond an effort to obtain medical services and money from the VA." Watson also stole money from the victim's bank accounts, the prosecutor said, and obtained a "full spectrum" of identification documents in the veteran's name.

Hartfield and federal Pretrial Service investigators had recommended Watson receive a two-year sentence. U.S. District Judge Robert Bryan imposed a stiffer penalty, saying, "These are important cases because they do substantial injury to innocent individuals, and they need to be treated seriously by the court."

Mike Carter: 206-464-3706 or mcarter@seattletimes.com