Stolen Valor Fake Navy SEAL William Burley Gets 3 Years

Fake Navy SEAL gets three years in prison for defrauding charity
Chicago Tribune
Robert McCoppin
December 19, 2016

After officials with the nonprofit became suspicious, they said they contacted Don Shipley, well-known for exposing SEAL impersonators, who confronted Burley about discrepancies in his background, and IAS cut ties with him.

A man who pretended to be a U.S. Navy SEAL who could rescue kidnapped workers for a Chicago aid agency was sentenced Monday to three years in prison, prosecutors said.

William Burley, 36, formerly of Yucaipa, Calif., was ordered to pay full restitution of $32,454 to International Aid Services America, or IAS, a nonprofit Christian aid group that provides clean water in Africa, authorities said.

The president of the board of the aid agency, Jonathan Wildt, welcomed the ruling as "fair."

"We're just glad to see the justice process work appropriately, and glad for that outcome," he said.
read more here

Don Shipley's Phony Navy SEAL of the WEEK William James Burley. Fake Fraud Phony Military Impostor

Purple Heart Fake Ran Non-Profit Posing As Vietnam-Gulf War Marine

San Rafael gym owner accused of impersonating decorated veteran
SF Gate
By Jenna Lyons
March 17, 2016

Allen hosted annual fundraisers starting in 2010, dressing the part of a decorated war veteran as he raised money for the “Helping Heroes from Home” nonprofit, also known as Triple H, and his recruit training program. Allen said he was a lieutenant with the United States Marine Corps who served in the Vietnam War and the Gulf War, officials said.

A San Rafael gym owner spent years telling people he was a war hero, convincing donors he was awarded the Purple Heart as he persuaded them to give more than $20,000 to a veteran nonprofit and his own military recruit training program, authorities said.

But officials say he lied about receiving the nation’s oldest honor and bought Purple Heart ribbons to con donors into believing his story.

Gregory Bruce Allen, 68, was charged in the U.S. District Court of San Francisco Wednesday with fraudulent representations about receipt of military decoration or medals, a misdemeanor. He faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine, officials said.
read more here

Fake Camp Pendleton Marine Can't Keep Story Straight

Fake Marine vet caught trying to get discount on pepper spray
Popular Military
By Michele Katz
October 1st, 2015

He claims he was a Gunnery Sgt. stationed at Camp Pendleton.

But when confronted with more probing questions, it becomes clear that the man being recorded on this cell phone video is stealing valor.

When asked if he was retired, the man claimed he was “Section A: medically discharged.”

“You were a gunnery Sgt. over there, what pay grade is that?”

“It’s a G9,” the man says.

The person recording the exchange, later identifies himself as an Army veteran but initially tells the man he’s doing a school project — some documentaries –and asks, “Do you mind if I record this?”

While the conversation continues for a while after that, the man first says that he can’t talk on camera because he’s in “private contracting.” He goes on to say that he works ‘private security’ for non-profit organizations.

Then, pointing to his clothes, says “These are ACU’s.”

The soldier who posted the video on YouTube wrote: “Caught this POS in a tobacco store in Orange, CA trying to get a discount on pepper spray because he apparently was a purple heart recipient, gunny sergeant, recon, about to deploy.”

Apparently the man who was stopped on the sidewalk, graduated with a psych degree from Cal State, and went to officer training school.

“You got gunnery Sgt. in a year,” the service member asks. “I was only in Marine Corps for a year made it out of boot… was supposed to get Lieutenant – I went to basic OCS.”
read more here

From September 8, 2015
This was filmed by an Army Officer, and his wife Michelle, he noticed a guy that seemed out of place in a Marine Corps uniform. His wife posted a photo to our FB page and asked if he looked out of place, he threw up a lot of red flags. They confronted him, and he admitted he was a fake. said he was attending a wedding.


This one is from September 11, 2015

This guy claimed he was a member of 7th Special Forces Group, he was confronted by several current military members. He was also wearing several badges, including a CIB. It would seem he was getting discounts or free drinks, several national chains give free drinks to military in uniform.

Special Forces Soldier Calls Out Fake SF At Rhode Island Airport

Special Forces Soldier Calls Out Fake SF 

At T.F Green Airport, Stolen Valor This was filmed at the T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island by an active member of the Special Forces.

Veteran Confronts Fake Army Ranger Trying to Get Discounts

UPDATE and Yahoo!
'Fake' Army Ranger in Viral Video May Face Charges

Veteran Of 2/506th Calls Out Fake Ranger At Oxford Valley Mall
Nov 28, 2014

A former Infantryman from Easy Co 2/506 101st sent us this video of him calling out a fake Ranger at a local mall. This guy couldn't answer basic questions that he should've known, he was wearing a CIB with three stars and tried to say he got them all for Iraq and Afghanistan, not possible as you can only get one for both campaigns. I'm guessing he was trying his hand at some discounts. Visit us on Facebook at /Stolenvalor and on the web at guardianofvalor.com (linkded from Digg)

'Stolen Valor' Precedent Won't Help Lying Marine

'Stolen Valor' Precedent Won't Help Lying Marine
Courthouse News
By TIM HULL
October 29, 2014

(CN) - The Supreme Court's rejection of a law that made it a crime to lie about military service and accolades does not help a Marine Corps veteran who was photographed wearing unearned medals, the 9th Circuit ruled Wednesday.

A federal jury in Idaho found Elven Swisher guilty in 2007 for making false statements to the Veterans Administration, forging discharge documents to obtain benefits and theft of government funds. The jurors also convicted Swisher, who had served three years in the Marines beginning in 1954, for "wearing unauthorized military medals."

During the one-week trial, prosecutors said that Swisher had in 2001 secured $2,366 a month in federal benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder he claimed to have developed after an off-the-books mission in 1957 that never actually happened.

An "unpublished narrative" included with Swisher's application for benefits told of his supposed participation in a secret combat operation during which "Swisher and approximately 130 other Marines were flown by helicopter to an unknown location in China or North Korea," the 9th Circuit explained.

Swisher allegedly claimed that he'd been seriously injured in a firefight while on the mission, and that he'd been awarded the Purple Heart and other medals but told to keep this a secret.

Marine Corps officials testified at the trial that there was no record of Swisher having received any injuries or medals during his service. Prosecutors also presented a photograph that showed "Swisher wearing the Silver Star, the Navy and Marine Corps Ribbon, Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a Bronze V, and the UMC Expeditionary Medal."

After the jury convicted on all counts, Swisher was sentenced to one year behind bars and three years of supervised released.
read more here

For More on Stolen Valor, ABC has Operation Stolen Valor

Vietnam Veteran Valor Vulture Robert William Richardson Australia

Vietnam veteran Robert William Richardson faces review of gold card pension entitlements over phony war stories
HERALD SUN
PETER MICKELBUROUGH
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION EDITOR
MARCH 19, 2014

THE $1 million gold card pension entitlements of a Vietnam veteran whose phony war stories have been stripped from the Australian Government’s official online history of the war are now being reviewed.

Robert William Richardson is believed to have received payments, estimated to be worth more than $1 million today, as a full gold card veterans pensioner for up to 30 years.

Mr Richardson’s status as a member of the Order of Australia and a Justice of the Peace are also under review.

Ironically, Mr Richardson is also on the Department of Veterans’ Affairs steering committee for the popular Anzac Day story writing and art competition (SWAC) — a role that is also now under review.

Mr Richardson admitted to the Herald Sun last week that his recollections of storming Viet Cong tunnels as part of Operation Crimp were faulty and that he took no part in the battle. He stated that at the time he was interviewed, he was a rather “mentally disturbed cookie” and that this could explain his vague recollections.

War records show Mr Richardson was drummed out of the army in 1969 after being fined $400 and $50 costs in a criminal court for “obtaining goods under false pretence”.
read more here

Australia Vietnam phony hero blamed American Pilots!

Digger Robert William Richardson’s tale of Vietnam War action shot down
Herald Sun News
PETER MICKELBUROUGH
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION EDITOR
SUNDAY HERALD SUN
MARCH 15, 2014

Shortly after being sent to Vietnam Mr Richardson was busted from corporal to private for going AWOL and drinking while on duty a month and a half before being shipped overseas.

Although Mr Richardson told a newspaper in 1980 that he served 15 months in Vietnam, his record of service shows he spent a year and 14 days there between May 1965 and June 1966.

A VIETNAM veteran and Order of Australia Medal recipient whose recollections of storming Viet Cong tunnels appeared on the Australian Government’s official online history of the war has been branded a phony by his fellow servicemen.

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs stripped three video interviews with Robert William Richardson from its war commemoration website, Australia and the Vietnam War, after being contacted by the Herald Sun.

“In cases where serious concerns are raised about material on our website we remove it until the completion of an investigation,” spokesman Shane Haiduk said.

Veterans of Operation Crimp want the “false history” expunged from the record permanently, saying Mr Richardson was a clerk with a bad record who “never stepped outside the wire”.

Mr Richardson conceded to the Herald Sun his recollections were faulty and that he did not take part in the battle.

“I do not stand by my testimony as being 100 per cent accurate. I was not on Operation Crimp,” he admitted.

“That is one operation I will not forget,” he recalled. “I reckon it was the beginning of all my troubles. We got sprayed by the American C130. They said it was a mistake. I have suffered nausea and been treated for a skin rash ever since. Now they are testing for chemical poisoning.”

Veterans say the claims are fanciful and an insult to the US paratroopers, with pay book entries signed by Mr Richardson showing he was 70km away at the time of the battle.
read more here

Therapist Stole Valor of Heroes

Man accused of posing as a veteran
WFSB News
By Joseph Wenzel IV, News Editor
By Eric Parker
Posted: Feb 24, 2014

BRIDGEPORT, CT (WFSB)

Earlier this month the I-Team exposed a local therapist who was posing as a member of the United States Army Special Forces.

The investigation by I-Team is being used by a state representative from Bridgeport, who wants to change state law.

State Rep. Jack Hennessy said he can sum up the need for the stolen valor bill he's supporting at the Connecticut General Assembly in two words: Greg Banks.

"It just robs the valor of the men and woman who wear the uniform," Hennessy said.

Hennessy added that the allegations involving Banks were "very much" upsetting.

The bill existed before the I-Team exposed the counselor who's been posing as a member of the United States Army Special Forces. Hennessy cited the investigation by the I-Team as an example of why it's needed.

The I-Team first got a tip about a man named Greg Banks showing up at the Danbury Mason's Lodge in uniform, sporting a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Members said Banks was bragging about his work for the United States Army Special Forces, but the investigation by the I-Team showed he's never served his country.

Man accused of posing as decorated special forces soldier

A man has claimed to be a major for the special forces in the United States Army and received awards for his service.

However, an investigation by Eyewitness News shows that no records of the man's military service, so the I-team went to look for answers. 

Continue reading >>

The Pentagon told the I-Team they have no record of a Gregory C. Banks. When the I-Team uncovered his divorce records, the station found that he mentioned nothing about military service there either.

However the I-Team did find his license as a professional counselor, and it was clear those who knew him in that role had heard his military tales.

When I-Team talked to people at the counseling office for Banks in Farmington, they insisted he was a member of the United States Army Special Forces, a job so secret they asked us to not to report about it.

Banks said on his website that he specializes in treating child and adult patients, specifically those with traumatic experiences and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The I-Team met Hennessy at the Port 5 Naval veterans in his hometown of Bridgeport. He's a new member and he showed the station around their museum where among other displays they have actual versions of the medals Banks wears on his phony uniform.

"When I was a Ranger, I knew that I could be called by my country to go into a combat zone to give up my life and I was willing to do that," Hennessy said. "To have people who have not been in the military to pose as that, it takes away from the people who have actually made their commitment and some the ultimate commitment giving their lives." read more here

The “major” was charged with falsely claiming to be a veteran

Accused fake war veteran says he is at death’s door
HERALD SUN
PETER MICKELBUROUGH
FEBRUARY 24, 2014

Neville Donohue. Source: HeraldSun

A MEDAL-festooned accused fake Vietnam War veteran told a magistrate he is dying of cancer and so cannot appear in court to face federal charges for being a wannabe war hero.

However, checks by the Herald Sun have sparked a police investigation into “Major-General” Neville Donohue’s claim to be in The Alfred hospital dying of cancer.

The “major” was charged with falsely claiming to be a veteran, and wearing medals to which he was not entitled, after photos of him decked out like a North Korean general with four rows of military medals on his chest went viral on veterans’ forums and networks.

He was first photographed “reflecting on the Anzac and Australian spirit” in front of almost 200 people at the Mount Dandenong Anglican Parish Anzac Day service last year.
read more here

Australia searching for identity of heavy medal "veteran"

Stigma of PTSD should have ended when fakers claimed it

Fakers always seem to claim PTSD along with heroism. Think about that for a moment. The only reason a person fakes something like that is when he thinks real veterans with PTSD are in fact heroic. When fakers stopped just claiming medals they didn't earn but added in PTSD, that should have changed the fact that most veterans do not seek help for PTSD.

ONTARIO LEGION CO-SERGEANT AT ARMS, OUTSPOKEN PTSD SUFFERER MADE UP HIS MILITARY HISTORY, SAY SOLDIERS
Sun News Canada
GALEN EAGLE
QMI AGENCY

PETERBOROUGH, Ontario - David Jeffrey Dodd says he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, haunted by the scenes of his overseas experiences when his Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry platoon was bombed and a female soldier died in his arms.

"She was an incredible soldier. I lost 4 good soldiers and she was one!" Dodd posted on the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) Association Facebook page Sunday.

"I'm coming into a hard time of year (feb sucks bc that's when it happened) ... I can't sleep most nights because I see s--- in my dreams."

It would be a gut-wrenching story, if it was true.

But nobody who has served with the Patricias appears to know Dodd or know anyone who does.

Even more peculiar, the Patricias have never lost a female soldier in the manner Dodd described.

Those two inconsistencies sparked an online firestorm on the Facebook thread, with up to 900 comments, questioning who Dodd is and why he had made the comments he did.

Retired soldier Bill Finlayson was one of those irked by Dodd's posting.

"Between the 1,800 guys, we pretty much know every single person that has ever served with PPCLI that's still alive," he explained. "These guys are like a pack of wild dogs when it comes to protecting their own."
read more here

Congress clears another Stolen Valor bill

Congress clears bill on lying about medals
The Associated Press
Published: May 23, 2013

WASHINGTON — Lying about receiving a military medal could become a crime, under a bill headed to the president's desk.

The Stolen Valor Act cleared the Senate Wednesday and the House earlier this week. The act makes it a crime to lie about military medals, if the purpose is to benefit from the claim.
read more here

Groups on hunt for military minority fakers

How do average people do better than "professionals"? Because they work harder? Work longer hours? Sure, but this kind of work needs something more than that. To be this dedicated, you have to be this connected to what you are doing. For these groups, it is all about being part of the smallest group in this country. The military minority. Veterans are 7% of the population even though the burden for the security of the other 93% depended on them getting the job done, they are usually not thought of until November when Veterans Day rolls around or in May when thousands of them travel to Washington DC to honor the memory of the lives lost doing the jobs only they understand, Memorial Day.

Fake Warriors Project and Guardian of Valor will make sure that members of the 93% don't try to sneak into the military minority to gain for free what most of them never even ask for.

They get uncomfortable with too much attention but they grieve when their wounded are not cared for or about. They don't want to be worshiped but they don't want to be forgotten when they need jobs, help to heal of just someone to listen to them when they need to talk. 43% of the veterans needing help for PTSD do not seek it. We're working on that and trying to get them to understand that help from the VA is not a handout. They earned it with their service. They already paid for it well in advance. The fakers, well, they will never understand what being that unselfish really is.

Hunt for bogus war heroes uncovers thousands of hoaxers
By Bill Briggs
NBC News contributor

During the past decade, some 4,000 men have been exposed while posing as combat warriors to fool women, scam federal benefits and reap undeserved praise. But the latest fake veteran to be uncloaked and convicted will carry an unofficial military rank to prison: “Captain Obvious.”

Danny Crane, 32, earned that colorful moniker from the man — an actual wounded veteran — who used his two basement computers and a loose, national network of fellow amateur sleuths to unravel Crane’s lies and ultimately hand him to federal prosecutors. Crane, who lived in the Tampa area, was sentenced March 14 to one year and one day in federal prison.

“His uniform was all wrong. The discharge papers he posted online were wrong. His mannerisms were wrong. The only thing he had right were his tattoos. He was Captain Obvious,” said retired Army Staff Sgt. Fred Campbell, one of 10 veterans who operate a nonprofit, virtual detective agency called Guardian of Valor.

“But in our world, the Danny Crane case is not unusual,” said Mary Schantag, a Marine widow who lives in Missouri and operates the Fake Warriors Project. Since launching that veteran-vetting venture on a shoe-string budget in 1998, Schantag said her nonprofit group — along with partners at similar sites — has revealed more than 4,000 hoaxers who falsely claimed military service or battlefield glory. It’s unclear how many of those 4,000 frauds later were prosecuted. A VA spokesman said such cases are not tracked by the agency.
read more here

Iowa man claimed to be war hero

Iowa man claimed to be war hero
Omaha.com
MARCH 16, 2013

DES MOINES (AP) — An Altoona, Iowa, man was sentenced to more than a year in prison for lying about his Army record so he could qualify for Veterans Affairs medical benefits.

Federal prosecutors said in documents filed as part of a sentencing hearing Thursday that Jeffrey Kepler, 53, of Altoona pleaded guilty in September to health care fraud.

Prosecutors said Kepler had submitted a falsified discharge form to the Veterans Affairs medical center in Des Moines in August 2007.

Court documents said Kepler portrayed himself on the form as an airborne ranger and a war hero who had been awarded numerous medals, including the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He claimed to have served in the Army between January 1977 and August 1979.

He said on the form that he had served as a covert operations specialist, and information about his military service could not be disclosed for security reasons.

Prosecutors said Kepler actually served only 27 days in the Army in 1986 and was discharged for not meeting medical fitness standards.
read more here

Former Navy SEAL Helps Ferret Out Fake Credentials

Former SEAL Helps Ferret Out Fake Credentials
Dec 17, 2012
Tampa Tribune
by Howard Altman

So you're in a bar and the guy on the next stool is bragging about being a Navy SEAL.

Maybe he's trying to cadge free drinks, or impress a potential paramour.

Or maybe it's someone running for office, trying to garner votes.

If your BS radar detector starts pinging, there's probably good reason, says Tucker Campion, a guy who should know.

Campion, now 56 and living in Tarpon Springs, was a Navy SEAL for 19 years, retiring in 2000 as commander of SEAL Team 3. For several years, he was part of an organization called VeriSEAL, which helps ferret out fakers by, among other methods, accessing a database of everyone who graduates from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEALs training, or BUD/S for short.

By and large, SEALs remain the "quiet professionals" and don't brag. So if you hear someone who does, they are likely fakes. A check of the database usually proves that. No BUD/S, no SEAL, no deal, says Campion.

"We always say that for every real SEAL, there are 10 guys saying they are," says Campion. "Ever since bin Laden was taken down, the numbers shot through the roof." I reached out to Campion after seeing his name in a purloined email about outing a pretender on one of my favorite Web sites, which gathers up all kinds of semi-spooky stuff from a wide array of sources.

The 7-year-old email, which has since been scrubbed, talked about the VeriSEAL team, naming a few names.

VeriSEAL was formed in 1992, according to VeriSEAL.org. Its mission is "to provide immediate confirmation" of SEAL and other Special Operations Forces credentials.
read more here

Fake war hero ordered to federal prison, for 30 days?

Fake war hero ordered to federal prison
Posted on December 3, 2012

HOUSTON -- A Shenadoah man who vastly altered his military record to reap the benefits of life as a highly-decorated war hero has been sentenced to 30 days in federal prison.

Paul A. Schroeder, 41, was convicted of altering a military or naval discharge certificate. The former director of counseling for the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Foundation was indicted earlier this year and was sentenced Monday morning by United States District Judge David Hittner. The judge rejected a defense request for probation and ordered Schroeder to spend a month in a federal detention facility and pay a $3,000 fine.

In 2010, as a representative for the PTSD Foundation, Schroeder appeared in a news story on KHOU 11 News professing how his Christian faith helped him overcome the demons he developed as a front-line soldier in Afghanistan and Somalia. Schroeder actually served only 9 years as a military policeman in the continental United States.
read more here

Florida Phony Navy SEAL Allegedly At It Again

Once-alleged Phony SEAL Allegedly At It Again
Nov 27, 2012
The Virginian-Pilot
by Bill Sizemore

In a Norfolk, Va., courtroom in 2002, Robert Anthony Nolan was sentenced to two years in federal prison for lying to the FBI after being accused of posing as a Navy SEAL.

A website dedicated to exposing fake SEALs had given him a five-star rating on its "Wall of Shame," its most ignoble designation, meaning the "claimant is 'incorrigible' and continues to make claims despite proof that his claims are not supported by government records."

At sentencing, Nolan promised to turn his life around once he was released.

A decade later, the Virginia Beach man says he has been as good as his word.

Curt Ruggles begs to differ.

Ruggles, a semi-retired mechanic in Florida, says Nolan has been at it again, spinning a richly detailed and believable yarn about his SEAL past.

He was so taken in, Ruggles says, that he spent months working on an experimental aircraft that Nolan hoped to sell to the Navy for use by its SEAL commando teams.

The two ultimately had a falling-out over the pace and cost of the work, and the test aircraft now sits grounded in a hangar at a Florida airport, its key components disabled by Ruggles -- a precautionary measure, he says, because the craft isn't safe to fly yet.

Nolan calls it an act of sabotage fueled by vengeance. He reported it to the local sheriff's department, which later sent an investigator to question Ruggles.

Only then did Ruggles resort to an Internet search to learn more about his erstwhile business associate. He was shocked, amazed and angered to discover Nolan's history as an alleged SEAL poseur.

The details differ from case to case, but the overall story line is familiar. As the home to half of the Navy's elite sea-air-land commandos, Hampton Roads is replete with SEAL wannabes. Dozens have been outed over the years -- and if anything they are popping up more frequently since a Virginia Beach-based SEAL team killed Osama bin Laden last year, according to Don Shipley, a retired SEAL in Chesapeake who helps expose fakes.

"They're coming out of the woodwork," Shipley said. "It seems to be getting worse. And they're going to greater lengths than harmless barroom boasting."
read more here

70 year old "fake disabled veteran" gets 7 years for fraud

Fake war hero gets 7-year sentence for fraud
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Nov 5, 2012
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A western Missouri man who lied about being a disabled war hero to get federal contracts has been sentenced to prison in Kansas.

The U.S. Attorney’s office says 70-year-old Warren Parker, of Blue Springs, Mo., was sentenced Monday to slightly more than seven years.
read more on Army Times

Stolen Valor McClanahan does something honorable

All of us get angry when someone is caught lying about being a hero. We got really angry when the Supreme Court ruled that lying about even this is covered under free speech. Richard David McClanahan was found guilty and sent to jail but after the ruling from the Supremes, giving him the chance to clear his record, he doesn't want it. He said "I'm not the victim here." WOW. He is doing something honorable now.

Stolen Valor Case Vet Doesn't Want Record Cleared
Jul 13, 2012
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
by Chris Vaughn

Federal prosecutors in North Texas used the Stolen Valor Act, a law recently declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, to prosecute exactly one person for lying about his military record.

The man, perhaps surprisingly, was a veteran, a sailor-turned-soldier who concocted a breathtaking series of tall tales of heroism and claimed a rack of medals supposedly earned in Iraq and Afghanistan, all to impress people in Amarillo. He became a frequent speaker at colleges, nursing homes and veterans events.

Richard David McClanahan served 30 months in federal prison for his lies, a lengthy penalty imposed because he also lied about his income to buy a pickup from a dealership. Now living in Fort Worth, the 34-year-old ex-convict has a chance to have at least part of his conviction overturned after the Supreme Court's decision.

But McClanahan said he has no interest in clearing his record.

"I have no desire to have my record expunged," he said. "I'm not the victim here. The law was put into place for a very good reason.

"I understand the legal reasons why it was overturned and have no doubt that it was the legitimate decision for the Supreme Court. But I respectfully disagree with the court's decision. I wish the law had remained to prevent people like me from making absurd statements."

McClanahan's case had nothing to do with the appeal that reached the Supreme Court, which involved a public official in California who falsely boasted that he had earned the Medal of Honor. That man, Xavier Alvarez, fought his prosecution on the grounds that the First Amendment protected his speech, even though his statements were lies.
read more here

Long Island man impersonated soldier for upgrade on flight

N.Y. man accused of impersonating soldier
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jun 27, 2011 9:14:56 EDT
NEW YORK — Police say a Long Island man is accused of posing as a soldier so he could be bumped to first class on a flight to Kennedy International Airport.

Port Authority police arrested 22-year-old Rock Diaz of Freeport on charges of second-degree impersonation.
read more here
N.Y. man accused of impersonating soldier