An article published on March 11, 2025, by Stephen Ruiz on military.com, examines a significant stolen valor case involving H.L.I. Lordship Industries, a federal contractor that illegally sold 300 fraudulent Medals of Honor in the early 1990s.
Federal Judge William Bassler, incensed by veterans’ outrage, imposed an $80,000 fine—the maximum penalty—along with $22,500 in restitution and five years’ probation on Lordship after its guilty plea in 1996. The company, which produced 60% of U.S. military medals, faced further repercussions when the Pentagon severed ties, barring it from government contracts for 15 years, costing an estimated $155 million.
The FBI uncovered the scam in 1995 after agents posing as collectors purchased fake medals traced back to Lordship. The article highlights the broader issue of stolen valor, noting increased penalties in 1994 and the Stolen Valor Acts of 2005 and 2013, while illustrating ongoing challenges with a case of an Illinois judge, Michael O’Brien, exposed as a fraud after falsely claiming Medal of Honor status. The narrative underscores these type of deceptions’ emotional and legal toll on genuine veterans and the military community.
The Medal of Honor Fraud Case that Took Stolen Valor to the Extreme
military.com | By Stephen Ruiz | Published March 11, 2025
With each letter from a disgusted veteran, William Bassler grew more furious.
Then a federal district court judge in New Jersey, Bassler listened intently as those veterans described how a federal government contractor that sold 300 fraudulent Medals of Honor in the early 1990s had degraded their military service in an egregious example of stolen valor. When Bassler sentenced the defendants, he did not hold back.
“True Medal of Honor recipients and their families have the right to be outraged …,” Bassler said, according to a New York Times article. “My only regret is that I’m limited by the guidelines.”
Category: CMOH, Congressional Medal of Honor, Medal of Honor, Stolen Valor, Stolen Valor Act
You know there are a more than few shadow boxes around the country that have those stolen MOH’s. Somebody thinks Gramps took out 3 pillboxes on D-Day and saved a whole company when he was actually shoveling shit in Louisiana…
I looked up my Pop-pop’s service in WW2, and everything checked out. I would have been devastated if he was a phony.
HT3,
Ever since the St. Louis NPRC fire in the early 70s,
WWII and Korean War phonies were (more) rampant,
not only at veteran org posts, parades, and speaking in schools,
but ALSO at the VA, enough so that the VA considered shutting down and privatizing in the late 70s, before my time.
BWWW (Before World Wide Web)
MOST of them got away with it, with a few watchdogs out there for
Phony Navy SEALs (1st generation), Phony POWs,
and some small but significant attention on other small groups.
But the WWW / internet has changed all that.
And just like other types of phonies and terrible behaviors,
many perps who feel invincible keep on doing, keep on trying,
and over the past almost 30 years,
many of them end up with unwanted internet infamy.
Steve and other VG/TAH admins
know this history much more than I do.
Front lines now for a generation.
Fake POWs are the fucking worst.
Agreed, but tied for first place are the phony Gold Stars. Did you know you can still buy the Gold Star on the internet? Fun fact – the Gold Star Lapel Button is protected the same as the Purple Heart or MoH with prohibitions on buying, selling or trading one.
At a local Highland Games a couple years ago, some guy was selling all sorts of military memorabilia. In his glass display case were a couple Purple Hearts and several Gold Stars. Guess he figured those coming to a Scottish festival wouldn’t know better? I caused a scene.
The depths of immorality know few if any boundaries.
Sorry for the ones that gave all only to have their sacrifice cheapened by the same people honored with a sacred trust.
Hell hath no fury greater than these mortal sins against so many.
Godspeed to the true heroes that earned their MOH with the sacrifices made.
Never understood why assholes throw medals and shit they never earned (or never even served) on a uniform to parade around in. I used to grouse and moan about having to get my shit remounted everytime a new awards message came out giving us some dumb ass unit commendation for a place I was at 10-12 years ago. Getting shit mounted/remounted is expensive AF!
Isn’t today National Medal of Honor Day?
https://thevillagehemorrhoid.blogspot.com/2025/03/national-medal-of-honor-day-325.html
During the time I was a WWII re-enactor, the character I played was usually Gen. MacArthur. I went to some pretty good expense to get a khaki uniform and cap that were as close to his as possible, but I never went for a full Army uniform for one reason – I would not wear a MoH ribbon. Even as an actor, I could not bring myself to wear something that I considered … well, I guess the proper word would be “sacred.”
(My portrayal of MacArthur, by the way, earned me the highest compliment I ever received as an actor. After a weekend event, I was still in uniform as I was leaving when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I saw an elderly man saluting me. I returned the salute and he said, “I just wanted you to know … I was on MacArthur’s staff in Korea, and I had to tell you – if you were four inches taller, I’d have thought the General had come back to life.”)