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A Clayton man convicted of lying to the government about his military service and submitting more than $18,000 in false disability claims was sentenced to 3 years in prison in a federal court in Virginia this afternoon. Randall A. Moneymaker will also serve 36 months of supervised release after his prison term and must pay $18,449 in restitution and a “special assessment” of $600 to the court. Moneymaker was convicted in March in Roanoke, Va., where he has also said he lives. Prosecutors refuted Moneymaker’s claims that he had seen combat in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Panama and Grenada by producing...

John Smith said he was a Navy SEAL who was imprisoned in Vietnam after his helicopter was shot down. Troy Brodrick spoke in schools about his 30-year military career in which he earned three Purple Hearts and flew President Eisenhower as an Air Force One pilot. William Whitely, a former University of Oklahoma professor, told stories of his career as a Navy SEAL while he served as a mentor to Naval ROTC students who wanted to follow in his footsteps. Trouble is, they were lying. Smith, Brodrick and Whitely are among a growing nest of military imposters, people who make...

Ed Sorace, a wounded Vietnam veteran and retired Pittsburgh police sergeant, knew immediately that something wasn't right. At the June 29 rededication ceremony of the Boulevard of the Allies, Downtown, he watched as a short, elderly man sporting a fancy blue uniform and a chest full of medals maneuvered through the crowd "like a dignitary." T. Rafael Lee wore the Air Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and some other decorations, including the Navy SEAL trident commonly called the "Budweiser." "That's the one that got my attention," said Mr. Sorace, 60, of Brookline. "I thought, 'Wait a second....

Former Atlantic City Mayor Robert Levy today was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine by a judge who said Levy continues to exaggerate his military service in Vietnam. Levy, 61, had pleaded guilty in federal court in Camden in November to one count of falsifying his service record when he applied for increased veterans benefits in January 2003. During today's hearing, Judge Jerome B. Simandle asked Levy to explain more about the dangerous missions behind enemy lines he told probation officers he participated in. "I just picked up my M-16 and my radio and...

LOS ANGELES - Local water director Xavier Alvarez was sentenced to three years' probation and fined $5,000 in federal court Monday morning for falsely claiming he was awarded the Medal of Honor. MP3 Audio: Alvarez Medal of Honor claimBefore he was sentenced, Alvarez told Judge R. Gary Klausner that he was "very remorseful" for his false claims of military valor. "I'd like to apologize to everyone in this whole nation," said Alvarez, who represents south Pomona Xavier Alvarez. (Staff photo) on the Three Valleys Municipal Water District board. As part of Alvarez's terms of probation, the court recommended he perform...

Three Valleys Municipal Water District Director Javier Alvarez was asked to resign by Director Brian Bowcock Wednesday May 21, 2008 during the boards monthly meeting. ((Will Lester/Staff Photographer) ) • Photo Gallery: Alvarez asked to resign• PDF: Alleged lies told by AlvarezCLAREMONT - A local water representative Wednesday called for the resignation of Director Xavier Alvarez, who has pleaded guilty to falsely claiming he won the Medal of Honor.At a meeting of the Three Valleys Municipal Water District, Director Brian Bowcock called Alvarez a "disgrace," read from a lengthy list of what he called Alvarez's lies and urged him...

Sacramento, CA (AP) -- An Oroville man has pleaded guilty to falsely representing himself as a decorated military hero from the Vietnam War. Michael Allan Fraser, 62, claimed in an interview with the Oroville Mercury-Register last year that he was awarded two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars for combat in Vietnam. He also traveled to Vietnam with war veterans on a mission to "bury the ghosts of the past." But a Colorado man who helped write the Stolen Valor Act, which was signed into law by President Bush in 2006, noticed problems with Fraser's daring tale of valor.

I have an co-worker who is older, and completely full of crap. His birthday is May 02, 1937, making him 14-17 at the time of the Korean War.He has told stories that are unbelievable to clients who, if they find out, could hurt our business. My boss approached me since I am military and asked me to find out how I can get documentation that we can print up in the coffee room to "out him" as a "stolen valor" type of guy. The latest news is that he won the Navy Cross in 1952 (when he was 15-16) when...

NEW YORK (AFP) - A New Yorker who for 40 years passed himself off as Vietnam war hero who had been decorated for extreme gallantry was sentenced to community service Wednesday after being outed as a fraud. According to prosecutors, Louis Lowell McGuinn claimed to have been a lieutenant colonel in the US special forces and had used his fake military history since 1968 to get work or to win kudos at social functions. His military records showed that McGuinn had indeed been in the US Army and served in Vietnam, but was discharged as a private without being decorated....

I'm indebted to Hillary Clinton for the revelation that my global wanderings when my dad was president qualify me to run for the presidency myself. Mrs. Clinton has been insisting that her global junkets as first lady, and her meetings with foreign leaders, qualify her to be president of these United States. I never thought of it that way, but if she is correct then I am eminently qualified to follow my father's footsteps and take up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., not merely as a member of the president's family, but as president in my own right. Hillary, who...

You'll recall Hillary Clinton's recent speech in which she attempted to play up her foreign policy experience by recounting her "harrowing" 1996 trip to Bosnia. "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base." Well, mainstream media has discounted that account, and such luminaries as comedian Sinbad have chimed in as well. It appears, however, that Clinton caved in too soon when she admitted overstating the dangers, as Barely Political...

A disabled Biloxi Air Force veteran was one of two men arrested Tuesday on charges of lying about receiving military medals, including the Purple Heart. The Department of Veterans Affairs filed criminal complaints against Christopher Billeaud, 52, of Biloxi and John Wayne Lebo, 57, of Tylertown. Both men were released on unsecured bonds of $25,000 and $5,000, respectively. Both face a year in prison and $100,000 fines for each violation. Billeaud is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm and the Gulf Coast chapter president of the National Defense Transportation Association. He is accused of altering his discharge papers to indicate...

NEW CASTLE, Colo.—A Colorado man is accused of stealing an Army veteran's identity and using it for 24 years to get married, obtain free medical treatment and even serve as president of a VFW post. Mark Mulcahy, 46, faces felony charges of identity theft, forgery and criminal impersonation. He was being held in the Garfield County jail Friday in lieu of $45,000 bail. It wasn't known whether he had an attorney. Mulcahy obtained a military retirement document in 1984 in the name of David Keith Anderson of Modesto, Calif., according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Anderson, also known as David...

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"He adamantly denies the charges against him."

Federal prosecutors say an additional charge is being filed against a Pomona water board member who allegedly lied about being a Medal of Honor recipient. Xavier Alvarez, one of seven elected members on the Claremont-based Three Valleys Municipal Water District board, allegedly made the claim during a public meeting last summer. The 49-year-old Alvarez, who now admits he never served in the military, was charged with a misdemeanor in September for violating the Stolen Valor Act of 2005. Federal prosecutor Craig Missakian says records of a second meeting show Alvarez making the medal claim while soliciting an endorsement when he...

At least 121 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have committed a killing or been charged in one in the United States after returning from combat, The New York Times reported Sunday. The newspaper said it also logged 349 homicides involving all active-duty military personnel and new veterans in the six years since military action began in Afghanistan, and later Iraq. That represents an 89-percent increase over the previous six-year period, the newspaper said. About three-quarters of those homicides involved Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, the newspaper said. The report did not illuminate the exact relationship between those cases and the...

An elected official charged with falsely claiming he earned the military's highest honor has filed a motion to dismiss the federal case against him on free speech grounds. The motion argues that the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, under which water board member Xavier Alvarez was charged, is incompatible with the First Amendment because it restricts free speech by criminalizing false claims of military honors. Alvarez, an elected representative to the Three Valleys Municipal Water District, said last year at a water district meeting that he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his deeds as a Marine. After...

Water official claims right to lie Court case touches on Medal of Honor Will Bigham, Staff Writer Article Launched: 01/03/2008 09:00:00 PM PST The water board member charged with falsely claiming he won the Medal of Honor has filed a motion to dismiss the federal case against him, saying the statute is unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment. Xavier Alvarez, south Pomona's elected representative to the Three Valleys Municipal Water District, is the first person to be charged with violating the Stolen Valor Act of 2005. The act criminalizes false claims of military decorations or medals, including the Medal...

sacbee.com - The online division of The Sacramento Bee This story is taken from Sacbee / Politics. It's the Law: Medal liars face new sanctions State law enforcement may now cite those who falsify their war exploits. By Peter Hecht - phecht@sacbee.com Published 12:00 am PST Thursday, December 27, 2007 One in a series of reports on new laws that take effect Jan. 1. The new director of the Three Valleys Municipal Water District in Claremont introduced himself with tales so harrowing, so seemingly courageous, that people took notice. Fellow board member Dan Horan said Xavier Alvarez told him he...

State law enforcement may now cite those who falsify their war exploits. The new director of the Three Valleys Municipal Water District in Claremont introduced himself with tales so harrowing, so seemingly courageous, that people took notice.Fellow board member Dan Horan said Xavier Alvarez told him he saved a U.S. ambassador – and the American flag – while wounded by gunfire during a daring rooftop helicopter rescue in Lebanon. Horan said he was puzzled when Alvarez, a board member elected in 2006, later changed his story to say it happened in Iran. And he was skeptical when his colleague also...

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 29 (OneWorld) - U.S. war veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have announced they're planning to descend on Washington, DC this March to testify about war crimes they committed or personally witnessed in Iraq. "The war in Iraq is not covered to its potential because of how dangerous it is for reporters to cover it," said Liam Madden, a former Marine and member of the group Iraq Veterans Against the War. "That's left a lot of misconceptions in the minds of the American public about what the true nature of military occupation looks like." Iraq Veterans Against the...

Senator John F. Kerry already has a Democratic opponent for his U.S. Senate seat. He is not from the party's right since there is barely anyone sitting in those seats in blue Massachusetts. Kerry's antagonist is Ed O'Reilly, a Gloucester lawyer who, according to the Wednesday Boston Globe, is targeting Kerry from the anti-Iraq war left. And, lo and behold, he wants to know the truth about Kerry's military record and has questions himself about the Swift Boat record and the Swift Boat ads. Besides, like a lot of the senator's tormentors, he is suspicious about whether Kerry is really...

AMARILLO, Texas — A man who wildly exaggerated his record to include a presidential nomination for the military's highest honor and more Silver Stars than World War II hero Audie Murphy has been sentenced to 34 months in prison. Richard David McClanahan, who had inflated his history using medals purchased on eBay, was sentenced Thursday for lying about his record and for making false statements to get financing for a car. He was also given five years' probation on each count. "It was wrong, and I knew it was wrong when I did it," he told U.S. District Judge Mary...

Former Atlantic City Mayor Pleads Guilty To Lying To Get BenefitsThe former mayor of Atlantic City pleaded guilty Thursday to lying to enhance his veterans benefits, a crime that played a role in his bizarre three-week disappearance earlier this fall. Making his first public appearance since leaving office Oct. 10, Robert Levy admitted to falsely claiming to have been awarded two military medals and embellishing his military record in order to receive more money in disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Levy admitted fabricating stories that as a soldier in Vietnam, he had been left in the...

How mayor of A.C. was exposed as impostor Increased national scrutiny led Bob Levy to admit he was no Green Beret. By Edward ColimoreInquirer Staff WriterJames Simmons was suspicious.The Vietnam veteran had read a newspaper article referring to Atlantic City Mayor Bob Levy as a former Green Beret and wanted to recruit him for a veterans' group.But when Simmons sent the mayor a letter more than a year ago seeking proof of his service in the Army's Special Forces during the Vietnam War, he received no reply and began checking for himself.He used Internet military databases such as homeofheroes.com, enlisted...

Fraud busters on rise against fake veterans Web, federal law help to expose military charlatans By Russell Working, Tribune staff reporter Freelancer Matt Baron contributed to this report October 8, 2007 When Douglas E. Robinson showed up in Yorkville saying he was a homeless Vietnam veteran who had lost everything in Hurricane Katrina, the American Legion post took pity on a former comrade in arms, giving him nearly $400 and paying for a few nights' lodging. But Robinson and his wife's aggressive demands for money and slip-ups in his story led Kendall County sheriff's deputies to investigate. It turned out...

Under federal investigation for embellishing his Army service in Vietnam, a groggy-sounding Mayor Robert Levy called in sick and seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth. Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Under federal investigation for embellishing his Army service in Vietnam, a groggy-sounding Mayor Robert Levy called in sick at City Hall, climbed into his city-issued Dodge Durango and seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth. The mystery and the gathering scandal over Levy’s military record have worried civic leaders in this seaside casino resort, which has a long history of corruption, with four of the last eight mayors busted on graft charges and one-third of last year’s nine-member City Council in prison or under house arrest.

The way he told it, David McClanahan, of Fort Worth, Texas, had been wounded in combat three times in Iraq, awarded three Silver Stars and even nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor. Today, McClanahan, a nursing student at West Texas A&M, appeared in federal court in Amarillo, Texas, on charges he made up his hero's tale. McClanahan did not enter a plea and was released on bond after being advised of the charges against him. The arraignment is now scheduled for June 13. His lawyer, Brooks Barfield, says McClanahan will enter a plea of not guilty. A federal...

A pair of congressmen want to establish the first database for military awards to help law enforcement officials catch and prosecute military frauds. The measure, to be introduced in the House this week, would collect the names of all current and former servicemembers who have earned military medals including the Medal of Honor, Silver Star and Purple Heart. Certain Coast Guard and Merchant Marine medals also would be included. That database would be made available to law enforcement and certain researchers to help them determine rightful heroes from clever frauds. Last year, Congress approved the Stolen Valor Act, making false...

While Media Matters and Democrats on The Hill act like the "phony soldier" phenomenon is a figment of Rush Limbaugh's imagination, we're finding out that Scott "Baghdad Diarist" Beauchamp and Jesse Macbeth are only known to us because liberal anti-war types gave them a megaphone. Is turns out, there are more "phony soldiers" out there and they are being brought to justice….

Did The Press of Atlantic City, N.J., help drive Mayor Bob Levy into hiding? The mayor, whose falsified claim that he was a Green Beret in Vietnam was exposed by the paper last year, has been essentially missing since Friday. Some wonder if that story, which has not been disputed, sent him on the road to troubled times. Levy's office reported Friday that he had taken a medical leave, his third this year, but did not disclose why or where he went. Many in the casino capital of the east point to his odd behavior ever since the Press revealed...

He is facing questions about his service in Vietnam and hasn't been seen for a week. ATLANTIC CITY - Where's the mayor? Not since "Where's Waldo?" and "Where's the Beef?" has such a query caused such a stir. In this resort, where the streets are literally paved by gambling revenues, they're taking bets on what might have become of Mayor Bob Levy and whether his disappearance signals another impending scandal involving the city's top job. Amid reports of a federal probe into false claims that Levy admits he made regarding his Vietnam military service, the mayor drove off last Wednesday...

Mr. Harkin did serve in the Navy during the Vietnam era, but exactly what he did, and for how long, remain a matter of some dispute."After I got out of college," he says in his standard stump speech, "I spent eight years, eight months and eight days as a Navy pilot.".... "I spent five years as a Navy pilot, starting in November of 1962,"....."One year was in Vietnam. I was flying F-4s and F-8s on combat air patrols and photo-reconnaissance support missions. I did no bombing.".......That clearly is not an accurate picture of his Navy service. He concedes now he...

http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_092107WAB_phony_vets_SW.f8aaca26.html SEATTLE - On the Internet in an anti-war video, 23-year old Jesse Macbeth of Tacoma is seen claiming to be an ex-Army Ranger, ordered to kill women and children in Baghdad. In an anti-war video, Jesse Macbeth of Tacoma is seen claiming to be an ex-Army Ranger, ordered to kill women and children in Baghdad. But on Friday in Seattle Federal Court, Macbeth admitted it was all a lie as he was sentenced to prison and mental health treatment for submitting false information to the Veteran's Administration. In reality, the Army booted Macbeth after 44 days in basic training....

Jesse MacBeth never was an Army Ranger, much less a corporal, never received a Purple Heart for wounds inflicted by a foreign foe, and neither saw nor participated in war crimes with fellow U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, claims for which he became a poster boy for the anti-war movement. So, there was likely no way the 23-year-old Tacoma man suffered post-traumatic stress disorder from the horrors of war and other injuries. MacBeth was sentenced Friday to five months in jail and three years' probation for falsifying a Department of Veterans Affairs claim and an Army discharge record. At...

<p>A Tacoma man who falsely claimed he was a decorated war hero when he took the stage at demonstrations held in opposition to the U.S.'s role in Iraq was sentenced this morning to five months in prison in U.S. District Court in Seattle.</p>

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- Deputies say Matt Radula made up war stories to gain respect and to trick his neighbors and friends, allowing him to take advantage of people, especially at his favorite bar. Investigators say the Seminole County man dressed up as an Iraq war veteran, but never served one day. The owner of Mulligan's said Radula walked in the restaurant at least twice and accepted accolades, food and drink, posing as an Iraq vet. ... http://www.wftv.com/news/14144880/detail.html

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/08/marine_debusk_purpleheart_070817/

A 29-year-old former soldier, currently living in Fort Worth, has pleaded guilty in federal court to making false statements and claims about receiving nominations for the nation's highest military award, the Medal of Honor, according to prosecutors.Richard David McClanahan, 29, used his bogus status as a war hero in Amarillo to secure speaking engagements and scholarships, said U.S. Attorney Richard Roper of the Northern District of Texas. McClanahan, who claimed to have special operations training and spectacular combat experience, appeared in federal court Thursday in Amarillo to plead guilty to one count of making false statements and one count of...

For pretending that he was a decorated U.S. military veteran, 59-year-old Reggie L. Buddle of Puyallup must tend to the graves of those who really were. U.S. Magistrate Kelly Arnold in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Monday sentenced the counterfeit Vietnam vet to two years' probation and 500 hours laboring at Tahoma National Cemetery for posing as a decorated U.S. Marine captain and military chaplain in 2005 and 2006. Buddle, who never was in the Marine Corps, pleaded guilty in April to unlawful wearing of U.S. military medals and decorations. That followed an investigation by the inspector general of...

KAMR -- An Amarillo man has been indicted for lying about earning military medals. Richard "David" McClanahan was indicted in federal court on three counts. Two were for his claims of having military honors including 3 Purple Hearts, 3 Silver Stars, and a Congressional Medal of Honor. David McClanahan was a poster boy of bravery, at least that's what so many believed. The letter from the President confirmed it. It was a nomination for the Congressional Medal of Honor. At a military banquet on March 24, 2007, McClanahan told the crowd, "It's just a nomination. There are so many more...

Since the 1990s, the U.S. Census has occasionally asked people about their military experience, including whether they had served in Vietnam. There were some interesting results. In 1995, the census data showed 11.2 million people said they served during the Vietnam war period. But only nine million American actually served in the armed forces during the official Vietnam war period (1964-1975, most U.S. troops were out of Vietnam by 1972, and the big build up didn't begin until 1965). And only 30 percent of those were actually in Vietnam. That's 2.7 million troops. The census estimated that, by 1995, only...

June 29, 2007: Since the 1990s, the U.S. Census has occasionally asked people about their military experience, including whether they had served in Vietnam. There were some interesting results. In 1995, the census data showed 11.2 million people said they served during the Vietnam war period. But only nine million American actually served in the armed forces during the official Vietnam war period (1964-1975, most U.S. troops were out of Vietnam by 1972, and the big build up didn’t begin until 1965). And only 30 percent of those were actually in Vietnam. That’s 2.7 million troops. The census estimated that,...

The national commander of the American Legion never served in Vietnam although he describes himself as a "Vietnam veteran," a newspaper reported Sunday. Paul A. Morin, who was elected Aug. 31 to a one-year term as commander of the nation's largest veterans organization, spent his time in the Army from 1972 to 1974 at Fort Dix, N.J., The Boston Sunday Globe reported. Neither the federal government nor the 2.7 million-member American Legion makes a formal distinction between veterans who served in Vietnam and those known as "Vietnam-era" veterans. "I am a Vietnam veteran," Morin, of Chicopee in western Massachusetts, told...

(This is just plain wrong -- Louis) The House Judiciary Committee failed to take action on the Stolen Valor Act during its first meeting after the midterm elections and is not scheduled to send the bill to the floor before the current congressional session concludes at the end of the year, according to committee spokesman Terry Shawn. The Stolen Valor Act — which has been bottled up in the House subcommittee on crime, terrorism and homeland security since the Senate unanimously passed its version of the bill Sept. 7 — would close a loophole in current law that allows fraudulent...

National veterans groups say Clarence Lee's claims to have been a decorated helicopter pilot and a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War are bogus. The wheelchair-bound Lee was featured in a front-page Avalanche-Journal story Saturday leading up to Veterans Day events in Lubbock. He served as a Marine for six years, and what he claimed as his discharge paper showed him to be a driver. The A-J contacted Lee on Monday to tell him about the concerns raised about his story. Lee came to The A-J and tried to defend his claims by saying he would return Tuesday with...

ATLANTIC CITY ? Mayor Bob Levy has knowingly misrepresented his military record to family, friends, reporters and the public for decades.As an Atlantic City lifeguard and as a candidate for mayor last year, Levy claimed he had served during the Vietnam War with the U.S. Army?s elite Special Forces, more familiarly known as the Green Berets. In campaign literature distributed last year, he claimed he had won medals as a Green Beret. None of that was true. Levy ? who has an otherwise distinguished military service record ? was never a member of the Army?s Green Berets, he told The...

RALEIGH - Not long ago, Lisa Jane Phillips wore an Air Force captain's uniform while striding the campus of Meredith College. As a result, she will soon don another uniform: the khaki pants and shirt that women wear in federal prisons. Phillips, 35, of Apex, was sentenced Monday to a year and a day in prison for impersonating a military officer for almost three years. It was such a convincing charade, complete with claims that she suffered life-threatening injuries in combat, that she took the private women's college for $42,000 in tuition. She since has repaid the college. Starting in...