Fake veteran faces 'stolen valor' charge
Story Highlights
Richard Strandlof said he survived 9/11 Pentagon attack, Iraq bombing
In June, Strandlof admitted he lied
Penalty for stolen valor is up to one year in jail, up to $100,000 fine
Strandlof formed Colorado Veterans Alliance
(CNN) -- Richard Strandlof said he survived the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon. He said he survived again when a roadside bomb went off in Iraq, killing four fellow Marines. He'd point to his head and tell people he had a metal plate, collateral damage from the explosion.
None of it was true. On Friday, the FBI arrested him on the rare charge of "stolen valor."
Strandlof, 32, was held "for false claims about receipt of military decorations or medals," an FBI news release said. Charges had been filed in Denver, Colorado, the week before, the bureau.
"The penalty for his crime is up to one year incarceration and a $100,000 fine," it said.
Before his deception was revealed, crowds ate up his story. He canvassed Colorado appearing at the sides of politicians. Inspiring and seemingly authentic, he spoke on behalf of veterans at the state Capitol.
He formed a group called the Colorado Veterans Alliance.
The whole thing was a lie, he admitted to CNN's Anderson Cooper earlier this year. Watch Strandlof discuss case in June. »
He wasn't at the Pentagon. He was never a Marine. He never served his country. He never graduated from the Naval Academy. He claimed his real name was Rick Duncan.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/12/fake.veteran/
Showing posts with label Colorado Veterans Alliance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colorado Veterans Alliance. Show all posts
Monday, October 12, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Alleged Veteran Impersonator Charged
Alleged Veteran Impersonator Charged With Faking Military Medals
11 News just learned that the man accused of pretending to be a wounded veteran is now facing federal charges.
Posted: 4:10 PM Oct 2, 2009
11 News just learned that the man accused of pretending to be a wounded veteran is now facing federal charges.
Rick Strandlof, who went by the name Rick Duncan, claimed to be a former Marine injured in combat. An arrest warrant has just been issued by the feds for charges of making false claims about receiving military decorations or medals. Strandlof allegedly claimed to have been awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.
An arrest affidavit obtained by 11 News details the exact circumstances of the case against Strandlof. The document says on May 4, 2009, the Denver FBI was notified that a Captain Rick Duncan, born in 1977, was falsely representing himself as a Naval Academy Graduate, wounded Marine veteran and Purple Heart recipient from injuries sustained in the Battle of Fallujah in Iraq.
Individuals reported to the Denver FBI that Duncan started a veteran's organization called Colorado Veteran's Alliance (CVA). However, they reported that the the trade name for CVA was registered under a Rick Strandlof. That's when their suspicions led them to call the Naval Academy, who then confirmed that no one by the name Rick Duncan ever graduated from the academy during the time framed claimed by Strandlof.
Denver FBI agents then confirmed a man under the name Rick Strandlof had been involved in a fraud scheme in Reno, NV and had two outstanding arrest warrant in California and a state-wide warrant out of Colorado Springs for a traffic offense.
read more here
http://www.kktv.com/military/headlines/63325692.html
11 News just learned that the man accused of pretending to be a wounded veteran is now facing federal charges.
Posted: 4:10 PM Oct 2, 2009
11 News just learned that the man accused of pretending to be a wounded veteran is now facing federal charges.
Rick Strandlof, who went by the name Rick Duncan, claimed to be a former Marine injured in combat. An arrest warrant has just been issued by the feds for charges of making false claims about receiving military decorations or medals. Strandlof allegedly claimed to have been awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.
An arrest affidavit obtained by 11 News details the exact circumstances of the case against Strandlof. The document says on May 4, 2009, the Denver FBI was notified that a Captain Rick Duncan, born in 1977, was falsely representing himself as a Naval Academy Graduate, wounded Marine veteran and Purple Heart recipient from injuries sustained in the Battle of Fallujah in Iraq.
Individuals reported to the Denver FBI that Duncan started a veteran's organization called Colorado Veteran's Alliance (CVA). However, they reported that the the trade name for CVA was registered under a Rick Strandlof. That's when their suspicions led them to call the Naval Academy, who then confirmed that no one by the name Rick Duncan ever graduated from the academy during the time framed claimed by Strandlof.
Denver FBI agents then confirmed a man under the name Rick Strandlof had been involved in a fraud scheme in Reno, NV and had two outstanding arrest warrant in California and a state-wide warrant out of Colorado Springs for a traffic offense.
read more here
http://www.kktv.com/military/headlines/63325692.html
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Colorado Veterans Alliance begun by impostor
Local veterans advocate exposed as impostor
Story By: Susan Davies
Source: KOAA
Published Wed May 13, 2009, 09:47 PM MDT
Updated Thu May 14, 2009, 05:41 AM MDT
He was a local activist for veterans issues who claimed to be a 9-1-1 survivor. He said he was a marine captain serving three tours of duty in Iraq and wounded in the line of duty. But federal investigators say he lied about all of it - even his name.
The man we knew as Rick Duncan was an advocate for homeless veterans. He started the Colorado Veterans Alliance. But fellow veterans say he was really 31 year old Richard Strandlof - a former mental patient who never served in the military.
go here for more
Local veterans advocate exposed as impostor
Story By: Susan Davies
Source: KOAA
Published Wed May 13, 2009, 09:47 PM MDT
Updated Thu May 14, 2009, 05:41 AM MDT
He was a local activist for veterans issues who claimed to be a 9-1-1 survivor. He said he was a marine captain serving three tours of duty in Iraq and wounded in the line of duty. But federal investigators say he lied about all of it - even his name.
The man we knew as Rick Duncan was an advocate for homeless veterans. He started the Colorado Veterans Alliance. But fellow veterans say he was really 31 year old Richard Strandlof - a former mental patient who never served in the military.
go here for more
Local veterans advocate exposed as impostor
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