Sage-Tips

Is Stolen Valor an actual crime?

In general, no. While it may be morally reprehensible, it is usually not a crime. However, the Stolen Valor Act of 2013 (https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/258) makes it a crime for someone to claim they received certain medals in order to obtain money, property, or some other tangible benefit.

What is the penalty for impersonating a military officer?

If you are convicted of impersonating an officer, you could be facing a court-martial, a dishonorable discharge, fines and even prison time. Even if the impersonation was meant as a prank, you may still be found guilty of this crime under the UCMJ.

Can you lie about being a veteran?

When a veteran sacrifices his or her duty, honor, and integrity for pecuniary or social gain, that veteran violates a pillar of military service. In addition, dishonesty about military service can indeed be an actual crime. It can be a crime to misrepresent your actual military service.

What happens if you impersonate a veteran?

Current Law: Right now under the federal Stolen Valor Act of 2005, it is a misdemeanor to impersonate a veteran. This new bill would increase the penalty from a misdemeanor to a third-degree felony if a person misrepresented themselves as a veteran or wore military garb to solicit charity, material gain, or employment.

Why do people lie about being a veteran?

Why live a lie? Frueh points to two reasons that generally lead people to lie about military service: For financial gain or because of simple insecurity. Being a veteran can offer certain financial rewards such as VA benefits and preferential hiring for certain jobs. Beside federal benefits, some local governments offer benefits to veterans.

How many false veterans’ pensions were there?

The article cited a January 1893 report about veterans’ pensions in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine that said during a three-year period ending in 1879, out of 4,397 affidavits filed for wartime pensions, 3,084 were false—at a cost to the government of more than a half million dollars.

Do veterans exaggerate their combat experience to get extra benefits?

Some veterans even exaggerate their combat experience to the Department of Veterans Affairs in order to get extra benefits, says Christopher Frueh, a psychologist who worked at the VA from 1992-2006. The VA procedures for checking client’s claim are inadequate, said Frueh, who is now a professor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

Is it illegal to falsely claim to be a military honor?

In 2006, President George W. Bush signed the “Stolen Valor Act of 2005,” which made it a federal offense to falsely claim to have earned any military honor. But the Supreme Court struck the law down in 2012, saying it violated the First Amendment’s freedom of speech guarantee.