TAH in Florida Today

| June 5, 2013

With the Stolen Valor Act in the news again because the President signed it into law once more, we’ve been getting calls from around the country once again. In today’s Florida Today, Norman Moody writes about our friends and includes us in his examination of the issue;

Jonn Lilyea, a combat veteran who tracks false claims, said that the law will make people think twice before trying to profit by lying about their military record. Someone found guilty could be fined, imprisoned up to a year, or both.

Lilyea collaborates with other veterans to write a blog called “This Ain’t Hell,” a forum for veterans that since 2006 has been exposing false claims. He said the group discovered a veteran who falsely claimed to have served with Special Forces. The man was writing a book and had even received an advance when Lilyea’s group exposed him.

“We want to believe each other,” he said. “We don’t want to believe there are a bunch of phonies.”

Lilyea said more veterans are turning in tips that his group investigates. He said that most people being discovered as making false claims about military honors also tend to raise doubt about other aspects of their lives.

“We recognize when things don’t look right,” he said.

Category: Stolen Valor Act

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Combat Historian

Way to go, Jonn; as you stated, hopefully the passage of the new law will make these poser jokers think twice…

Bobo

I wonder if there is anyone else in Florida reading Florida Today this morning. Maybe someone waiting to go to court for that DUI, perhaps?

NHSparky

It might make a FEW people think twice. Then again, you’ve got the assholes who think either the law doesn’t apply to them or they couldn’t possibly get caught.

Memo to posers–no amount of bullshit can hide the truth. None.

Dave

@1, It unfortunately didn’t seem to stop them before. The best this will provide is a route for actual punishment under the law instead of the usual “records lost/suppressed/classified, threaten legal action, lukewarm apology, relapse” route.

Ex-PH2

At least there is now a way to try to get people to stop that crap. The fight, however, never stops.

Eggs

A great job Jonn, along with the information servicemembers and vets can receive as well as share on this site. Not to mention the laughs/loss of keyboards.

PintoNag

A rap sheet stings. And while employers may not think to google a prospective employee, or think to check a milblog about someone, a police record is something they will think of checking for, and will pay attention to.

Hondo

NHSparky: call me cynical, but I agree with you.

Most of the idiots who get “honored” here at TAH don’t seem to think, period. I doubt any new law will make them think once before perpetrating their idiocy, much less twice.

Veritas Omnia Vincit

Also this newer law is a watered down version from what I read. It defines a limited set of circumstances that be met for prosecution to take place.

Scott Brown’s original wording seems to have been modified quite a bit to limit the law to claims of false physical awards:

Stolen Valor Act of 2013 – Amends the federal criminal code to rewrite provisions relating to fraudulent claims about military service to subject to a fine, imprisonment for not more than one year, or both an individual who, with intent to obtain money, property, or other tangible benefit, fraudulently holds himself or herself out to be a recipient of:

a Congressional Medal of Honor,
a distinguished-service cross,
a Navy cross,
an Air Force cross,
a silver star,
a Purple Heart,
a Combat Infantryman’s Badge,
a Combat Action Badge,
a Combat Medical Badge,
a Combat Action Ribbon,
a Combat Action Medal, or
any replacement or duplicate medal for such medal as authorized by law.

Claims to be a spy, having served in combat or with special forces but devoid of claims of medals seem to be still quite legal, also claiming to have earned an award but not profiting from it are also apparently still legal even if totally amoral.

Veritas Omnia Vincit

Sorry I meant to include the link to Congress.gov where I took that text….

http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/258

BBNbill

I posted this earlier on:
“Phillip Dale Monkress; phony SEAL in FL”
Sorry about the misplacement.

June 5, 2013 — Wednesday

Jonn Lilyea and “This Ain’t Hell” are quoted and referenced in “U.S. Navy SEAL Team 4” Imposter Phillip Dale Monkress’ hometown daily newspaper for this June 5, 2013, Wednesday.

R. Norman Moody’s front page story in FLORIDA TODAY is titled “Vets keep watch for military phonies — Relaxed Stolen Valor law won’t deter their vigilance, they say.”

Lilyea is described by Moody as “a combat veteran who tracks false claims, said that the law will make people think twice before trying to profit by lying about their military record.”

Moody further writes, “Lilyea collaborates with other veterans to write a blog called “This Ain’t Hell,” a forum for veterans that since 2006 has been exposing false claims.”

Moody is very well–known to Brevard County and its large veteran population, as he writes extensively of matters in their interest.

Moody’s November 9, 2011, FLORIDA TODAY article titled “Navy SEALs drop in for friendly visit with Viera veteran” coincidentally appeared just prior to the outing of “U.S. Navy SEAL Team 4” Imposter Phillip Dale Monkress.

Moody’s entire story may be found at:
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20130605/NEWS01/306050014/Vets-keep-watch-military-phonies