NEWS - NOVEMBER 2009 |
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http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/2009/11/30/man_charged_with_impersonating_1.html
Man charged with impersonating an officer
An armed man who tried to enter an East Austin apartment Saturday night by identifying himself and his dog as sworn officers was charged with impersonating a public servant, according to an affidavit filed today. An police officer arrested Chad Heck, 28, ..... |
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Navy Cross |
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Ex-vets Rep to Admit War Record Phony |
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25 Nov 09 Article From the Sidney
(Australia) Morning Herald:
'Very evil' conman jailed over $4m scam
November 25, 2009 - 4:56PM
An "evil'' US conman who
portrayed himself as a "Hanoi Hilton'' prisoner of war
survivor to scam victims in Australia, New
Zealand and the US out of almost $US4 million ($4.3 million) has
been jailed.
Robert William Searles, 71, was sentenced in a court in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Tuesday to four years and nine months in a US federal prison... |
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GAO study shows some companies inflated veteran employment to engage in fraud.
That effort eventually resulted in the passage of the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 making many of these actions a federal misdemeanor. This blog led the effort to have Rick Strandlof aka Rick Duncan charged in federal court in Colorado for just such actions. An AP story on a recent GAO report published widely here and here among other places illustrates many more cases of stolen valor except in these cases not only a the valor being stolen but business and income due to veteran-owned business is being stolen..... |
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CHATFIELD: Stolen valor, againWe may never know the real reason why David Weber of Ramona fraudulently posed for four years as a retired two-star U.S. Marine Corps general. His undoing came earlier this month when he attended the Ramona VFW Marine Corps birthday celebration. Wearing full dress uniform loaded with medals, including five Legions of Merit, Weber basked in the adulation as he told his fake war hero stories to fellow Marines and local press...... =================== Gail Chatfield writes from San Diego and can be reached at my500words@yahoo.com. Posted in Chatfield on Monday, November 23, 2009 12:00 am Updated: 5:02 pm. | Tags: Columns, Gail Chatfield, Nct, Opinion |
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http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/nov/21/veteran-who-faked-hero-status-collier-arrested-aga/ veteran
who faked hero status arrested again NAPLES
— A 74-year-old veteran convicted for creating a bogus document of
military awards and honors to obtain a Prisoner of War license plate was
arrested Friday on a |
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MILITARY: Ramona man admits faking status as retired Marine generalDavid Weber says he regrets actions A Ramona man who portrayed himself as a retired Marine Corps major general is admitting he was never an officer and has apologized. David Weber said Monday that he regrets what he did because he has
tremendous respect for the service.... Call staff writer Mark Walker at 760-740-3529. |
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"In recent weeks, AMVETS leaders
have taken up the cause of Stolen Valor, which has become much more
prevalent in the current conflicts. More and more reports have come
into AMVETS National Headquarters in the last few months documenting
incidents where people pose as decorated combat veterans in an
effort to curry special treatment. AMVETS takes these accusations
very seriously, considering the negative affects Stolen Valor can
have on the legitimate veterans' community, which has earned
reverence in our society through tremendous sacrifices.
In 2005, AMVETS supported strengthening the Stolen Valor Act beyond the Medal of Honor, meaning those who wear other unauthorized military decorations or otherwise pose as veterans for personal gain can be charged with a federal crime. American Veteran is following each of these incidents very closely--some of which have garnered national media attention--and we will keep you posted in the coming days." http://americanveteranmagazine.blogspot.com/2009/11/this-week-at-american-veteran_16.html |
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http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Uniform--70207522.html
General DischargeBy ERIC S. PAGEUpdated 11:33 AM PST, Mon, Nov 16, 2009
Trouble awaits for an alleged Marine major general impostor. Ramona resident David Weber admitted last week to the Ramona Sentinel newspaper, which broke the story, that he was not, in fact, a decorated officer. As recently as Nov. 7, Weber had appeared in a dress uniform at the Ramona VFW, which was holding a ceremony celebrating the Marine Corps birthday. During the event, Weber was honored by being offered the first piece of cake........ Copyright Associated Press / NBC San DiegoFirst Published: Nov 16, 2009 11:14 AM PST |
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Matthew Alexander published his book last year entitled “How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq”. The book has it’s roots in a Mark Bowden article in the Atlantic. Alexander parlayed the Atlantic article into a book deal. After he wrote it, with some help from a renowned co-author, he went on a book tour making the rounds of all of the farthest Left news programs that would have him. Alexander didn’t use his real name to author the book or do his book tour. According to Alexander, his name was sealed in a court order for his protection. Of course, a puny DC District court order doesn’t affect the crack research staff of This Ain’t Hell. Here’s his DD214;..... |
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Nov. 14, 2009 Las Vegas Review-Journal Veteran pleads not guilty Stolen Valor Act has first Nevada prosecution .....With a walking cane in hand and wearing a Navy blue sports coat, David M. Perelman, 56, of Las Vegas, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lawrence Leavitt,.... |
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INVESTIGATION: A Tampa case of stolen valor
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Martinez native accused of dressing up as heroThursday, November 12, 2009 
(11-12) 15:41 PST MARTINEZ -- Steven Douglas Burton was a member of the marching band at Alhambra High School in Martinez, where he struggled to fit in and wasn't known for being athletic. So when he showed up at his 20-year reunion with a buzz cut and dressed in a crisp Marine Corps uniform, fellow members of the Class of 1988 were more than a bit surprised. So were military officials, who said Burton had never served in the military - nor had he spent a day fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan, as he claimed. He actually works at a bank in Palm Springs...... E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/12/BAUD1AJ61L.DTL |
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Not guilty plea in SoCal phony medals case
Posted: 11/12/2009 11:33:14 AM PST
Updated: 11/12/2009 11:33:16 AM PST
Thirty-nine-year-old Steven Burton, who was never in the military, was photographed wearing a Marine Corps uniform displaying the Navy Cross along with the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and other medals. .... |
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Palm Springs 10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, November 11,
2009
A Steven Burton, 39, is charged with one federal misdemeanor of
unauthorized wearing of military medals. Reach John Asbury at 951-763-3451 or jasbury@pe.com |
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| http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/1111091medals1.html | |||
SoCal man charged with wearing unearned medals
Posted: 11/11/2009 08:08:05 AM PST
Updated: 11/11/2009 08:08:06 AM PST
Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles say 39-year-old Steven Burton was photographed wearing the Navy Cross along with the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and other medals. .... |
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- ....Steven Burton, 39, of Palm Springs, California, has agreed to surrender to authorities Thursday morning, Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, said in a statement. He will make his initial court appearance in federal court in Riverside, California, at 9:30 a.m. Burton has never served with any branch of the U.S. military, authorities said, but was seen and photographed several times wearing military uniforms and various medals, including a Purple Heart and the Navy Cross, the highest medal awarded by the U.S. Navy..... |
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Bills passed to protect veterans Tuesday, November
10, 2009 at 4:42 p.m. With Veterans Day approaching on Wednesday, the state Senate today approved legislation aimed at protecting the honor of veterans in Michigan, said Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw Township. As a co-sponsor of the legislation, Kahn said the measures will establish and increase current penalties for those who act dishonorably toward the men and women who serve our country..... |
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Thursday, November 5, 2009 Attorney Argues ‘Stolen Valor’ Law Is Unconstitutional By KENNETH OFGANG, Staff Writer ....Xavier Alvarez was elected to the water board in 2006 by south Pomona voters. Asked to introduce himself at his first meeting, he explained that he had served for 29 years in the Marine Corps and held several decorations, including a Medal of Honor for pulling the flag from the embassy in Iran during the hostage crisis in the 1970s...... |
