When Stolen Valor Goes Wrong
Sarah Cavanaugh
Sarah Cavanaugh, who we’ve written about extensively, is back in the news.
In a masterclass of criminal overachievement, 34-year-old Rhode Island social worker Sarah Cavanaugh transformed herself from civilian to “decorated Marine hero” with all the authenticity of a $3 bill. Working at a VA Medical Center—the irony practically writes itself—Cavanaugh spent years cosplaying as a combat veteran who survived IED explosions, developed cancer from burn pits, and suffered traumatic brain injury, all while racking up an impressive $250,000+ in fraudulent donations and benefits.
Her performance art included full Marine dress-up complete with Purple Hearts and Bronze Stars purchased from the convenience of her own home (Amazon Prime for valor, apparently), commanding a VFW post, and delivering stirring speeches about her fictional military heroics. The scheme was so elaborate she even convinced a cancer patient to pay her fake insurance premiums so she could receive treatment at a Boston cancer center—because nothing says “supporting our troops” quite like scamming actual veterans battling real diseases.
After a 70-month federal prison sentence that one prosecutor described as addressing “moral depravity” (which seems almost quaint given the circumstances), Cavanaugh has now graduated to a halfway house in New York, scheduled for full release in July 2026. Her legacy includes a $284,796.82 restitution bill and the dubious distinction of potentially preventing an actual veteran from accessing mental health resources—a veteran who later died by suicide. Sometimes reality writes satire better than comedy writers ever could.
Sarah Cavanaugh, RI woman convicted in infamous ‘stolen valor’ case, moved to halfway house
Tom Mooney | Providence Journal | Aug 8, 2025Key Points:
* Sarah Cavanaugh was sentenced to 70 months in prison in 2023 for posing as a disabled Marine in a scheme to solicit $250,00 from charity groups.
* Cavanaugh has recently been moved out of prison and into a federal halfway house in New York.
* Cavanaugh’s scheduled release date is July 27, 2026.
Sarah Cavanaugh, originally sentenced to 70 months in federal prison more than two years ago for posing as a decorated disabled Marine veteran and garnering more than $250,000 from charity groups, has been moved to a federal halfway house.
The federal Bureau of Prisons online inmate locator shows the Rhode Island woman, 34, now serving her time in a residential reentry “field office” in New York City. Her release date is listed as July 27, 2026.
Federal inmates are often relocated to such facilities for months-long transitional periods prior to release.
RI woman was convicted in infamous ‘stolen valor’ case
U.S. District Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. sentenced Cavanaugh to almost six years in prison in March 2023 for actions one prosecutor said “plumbed the depths of moral depravity.”
Cavanaugh pleaded guilty to falsifying military service records, falsely using military medals, aggravated identity theft and fraudulently collecting more than $250,000 in veterans’ benefits and charitable contributions through wire fraud.
Category: Marine Corps Poser, Purple Heart
Too short and too easy of a sentence if you ask me….
Mike
USAF Retired
She’s done less than 2 years of her sentence when she should have done the full 5-1/2 years.
There’s unstable and then there’s criminal. She has no excuse for the wrong she did and she harmed veterans while doing it.
now serving her time in a residential reentry “field office”.
Probably as a security guard.
I wouldn’t even hire her to mop floors.
That smirk! 🕷️
Not nearly enough. Lifetime probation, ankle monitor, 40 hours a week scrubbing headstones at Arlington at 25% minimum wage.
Or scrubbing toilets at NYC subway stations
Or tonguing two-holes at All-Points Logistics.
Google is forever
She should have served about 4 years before being released to that halfway house.
Should have forced her to actually go through boot camp and then, if she makes it, say, “naaaa, never mind.”
so a 70 month sentence got her two years in the big house before going to a halfway house. Two whole years instead of almost 6.
I give her four days before she is back at it. That lure of easy scam money is to hard to resist.
I thought you had to serve your FULL sentence in a Fed Pen…
I have lost all faith that those Antifa bastards will actually see the inside of any federal prison cells.
No, the fed penal system requires 75% of the sentence before release. Some nonviolent inmates are transferred to halfway houses for the last six months of their confinement. The 25% off is to motivate good behavior.
“Antifa bastards” what tha?
Would smash
Preferably with a 9-iron.
Recruiters at All Points Logistics have already reached out to her.
Probably.
I imagine Phil Monkress (CEO of All-Points Logistics) has spun Lori Benton up and sent her up that way to negotiate an early release and contract.
Well, I have to ask this since it has been too long since he has been mentioned….
But what if she is related to Dennis Chevalier??
I wonder what happened to him. Perhaps he got lost trying to find his way into the Pineywoods area of East Texas ten years ago…or maybe he got lost trying to find his way out?
Hes a priest/pastor on line now. Just google him.
https://getordained.org/find-a-minister/101246/rev-dr-dennis-chevalier-phd
She’s out already? American justice is really silly nowadays, just look at trump how he always seems to escape justice and jail!