New Jersey and Massachusetts Craft Tough Stolen Valor Laws

Above and beyond: 2 states craft 'stolen valor' laws that exceed federal version 
FOX News
Perry Chiaramonte
March 21, 2015

“People take that uniform and the American Flag very seriously. You don’t get to say you fought for it when you clearly haven’t.”- Massachusetts State Representative John Velis

Lawmakers in two northeastern states are declaring war on phony veterans who claim combat experience in order to commit fraud. So-called "stolen valor" laws are not new, and the current federal version was revised after a tougher one was struck down in 2012 by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Laws proposed in New Jersey and Massachusetts would go further than Washington's regulation, heaping prison time on those convicted of faking service to the country to gain money or service benefits. “There are certain areas you don’t go,”

Massachusetts State Representative John Velis, a Democrat from Westfield who served tours in Afghanistan. "Any person who has served will tell you that it’s reprehensible when someone fraudulently represents themselves as a veteran for some type of financial gain.” 

Velis says his bill would make it a criminal offense to commit an act of stolen valor, carrying at least a year in prison and a $1,000 fine, making it the toughest law in the nation.
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