Fake SEAL commits suicide

Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader ^ | Wed, Apr. 23, 2003 | Mark Guydish

[corsair]

Former LCCC professor, fake SEAL kills self

A former Luzerne County Community College adjunct history professor who was fired for falsifying his job application and had falsely claimed to be a Navy SEAL committed suicide in Delaware last week.

Officer Trinidad Navarro confirmed that David Silbergeld, 65, of Mountain Top, was found in Rockwood Mansion Park at about noon April 15.

"He was found on the walking trail, deceased, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound," said Navarro, police media coordinator in New Castle County, Delaware. The body was taken by the state medical examiner's office for an autopsy.

Medical examiner's office spokeswoman Allison Levine confirmed the death was ruled a suicide.

Silbergeld was fired from LCCC on April 9, 2002, after a Times Leader investigation showed he had been convicted of federal felonies, including participating in a major cocaine smuggling ring. He served prison time for another conviction while teaching at LCCC.

Earlier investigations showed Silbergeld's claims that he had served as a member of the elite Navy SEALs and underwater demolition teams were untrue.

Reports rose of investigations by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and by other agencies. Silbergeld received disability payments related to military service.

A Veterans Affairs spokesman in Washington, D.C., said he could not comment on Silbergeld because of confidentiality restrictions.

An FBI spokeswoman said the bureau neither confirms nor denies investigations.

[corsair]

I was tipped off by a former student of David Silbergeld at Luzerne County Community College. She wrote in part; "He was my college professor until he was fired". I recall that Silbergeld was fired right after Steve Waterman turned up the heat, and begin to call attention to things like Silbergeld's cocaine trafficking conviction, and worse.

Note: Investigations by Steve Waterman in 2002 also showed that David Silbergeld may have faked his record to get into Army Special Forces. Silbergeld's Silver Star citation as a Captain in SF reads in part "...individually and personally led a demoralized ARVN unit, under intense enemy fire, in three charges against superior North Vietnamese troops, overcoming enemy resistance and personally killing, in close hand to hand combat, eleven enemy troops and dispatching a three man mortar squad." Read Waterman's report FAKE SEAL: DAVID L. SILBERGELD, FAKE JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING, also Free Republic, April 10, 2002, Wannabe SEAL fired in Pennsylvania

[noutopia]

Every vet should get a chance to put a bullet in his sorry carcus.

[SpyGuy]

Silbergeld was fired from LCCC on April 9, 2002, after a Times Leader investigation showed he had been convicted of federal felonies, including participating in a major cocaine smuggling ring. He served prison time for another conviction while teaching at LCCC.

With credentials like those, I'm surprised he wasn't offered a tenured professorship position at Harvard, Columbia, or UCLA.

[RichInOC]

Are they absolutely sure it's his body?

[corsair]

Say, you're not thinking that Vince Foster....

Naah!

[RichInOC]

I just figured, if he faked everything else...why not?

[corsair]

Now, you're spooking me. If he faked his own suicide, whose body is that? Silbergeld certainly had/has the criminal mindset to do such a thing. I sure hope they check fingerprints in Delaware. It took 8 days from the reported date of suicide for the Wilkes-Barre newspaper to pick up on it, the Times-Leader had initially exposed Silbergeld in print last year, so maybe everything was checked out in that time. Last year I was told that the Dept. of Veterans Affairs IG was looking at Silbergeld real hard, and they probably yanked his ill-gotten vet benefits and may have gotten a judgement and billed him for what he obtained fraudulently. Nobody's saying though. Apparently Silbergeld did have two years active duty USN.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

This post gets the great

Seal of Approval

[piasa]

fyi

[SpookBrat]

Your tag line reminds me of a Rush song. Freewill?

Too early. Must have coffee.

[Mustang]

This headline is really going to piss off the PETA people.

[Pern]

Silbergeld was fired from LCCC on April 9, 2002, after a Times Leader investigation showed he had been convicted of federal felonies...

Wait a minute, how could he shoot himself if it was illegal for him to have a firearm?

Proof again that criminals do not follow the asinine gun laws of Amerika.

[weegee]

The left will hold this up as an example of how mentally ill/depressed people (who would not pass a background check) can still acquire guns to commit suicide. Of course, there are those on the left would want to legalize doctor assisted suicide (and there are other methods to knock oneself off)...

[krb]

You shouldn't leave a dangling modifier like that!

[John123]

He served prison time for another conviction while teaching at LCCC.

Can someone explain how this works? How can you teach at a college while serving prison time? It seems to me that wearing prison stripes while lectoring would be a clue.

[Illbay]

This is interesting, but why do you think it so important as to put it in the "Breaking" sidebar?

[Centurion2000]

A former Luzerne County Community College adjunct history professor who was fired for falsifying his job application and had falsely claimed to be a Navy SEAL committed suicide in Delaware last week.

Good ..

[Squantos]

Sad........if ya serve as a cook or commando I'm proud of ya. If ya lie .......why ? Lifes too short to not honest with yourself and others.

Stay Safe !!

[SLB]

Taking a short FReep break.

I don't remember which web page I was looking at some time back, but one of several that exposes fakes and phonies. Lo and behold there was a guy I worked with right in the middle of it. I noted what he claimed and then started sort of asking around. Not a bit was true.

I agree with Squantos. Don't fake it. I was a SP4 mechanic for most of my tour in Vietnam. I saw people die just the same as the 11B infantry guy did. It was just that our jobs were different. I never could get the guts to jump out of an airplane, heck flying in a helicopter w/o doors is bad enough even if I have enough seat belts on to choke a horse. And as far a jumping in a body of water and swimming for miles! I learned to swim when I was 30 years old. We have a pool now and the most enjoyment is on a float with a cold glass of mint tea.

I never could figure out the PX warrior mentality, it always catches up with them.