South Carolina’s Stolen Valor law
South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley, signed that state’s new stolen valor act into law yesterday, according to The Republic. Considering that the state subsidizes a large number of phoney POWs there, prosecutors should be pretty busy enforcing the law;
The law signed by Gov. Nikki Haley makes the lie a misdemeanor, with the punishment depending on the lie. In a conviction, anyone pretending to be decorated war veteran could be sentenced to up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
[…]
[Rep. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Murrells Inlet]’s bill specifies that the lie becomes a crime when someone uses it to get a military benefit, seek a job or promotion, affect a court case, or secure votes for public office. The lie can be either verbal or written, including in a resume.
As we’ve seen, having a law and prosecuting a criminal are two different things. We’ve also seen how prosecuting people for stolen valor could prevent other crimes – stolen valor criminals are also criminals in other regards. So, I challenge South Carolina’s prosecutors to enforce the laws. Trust me when I say that SC is a target rich environmant.
Category: Stolen Valor Act
As someone on the Stolen Valor page said…”It’s a start…”
Here’s hoping SC prosecutors are more interested in prosecution of those who break the law than folks in, say, Maryland, who just can’t be bothered.
This is very important. I know of a lot of local law enforcement that would be very eager to nail phonies like that. It’s just very difficult for locals to go after someone on federal charges. And the FBI is spread too thin to go after little fishes. Each state should pass a law mirroring the federal statute.
Maryland next with a provision that prosecutors that *FAIL* to prosecute valid cases shall be prosecuted themselves.
/Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked have been sacked.
I am glad SC did this. However, with court’s backlogged already with myriad petty to violent criminals I don’t see prosecutors going after them unless they are brought to their attention by other means. Police are not going to check for phonies at the VSOs or the local MCs. I doubt there are prosecutors sitting twiddling their thumbs looking for cases to prosecute. So unless the person is dimed out by a fellow inmate or employer who is heads up about valor and the phony crap on a resume I don’t see many new cases for this. But as I began, it is a good start and I am glad they have passed this. I wish every state would.
The new law, unlike the Fed’s SVA, makes it a crime to claim that you served in the US military when you didn’t. And I like the provision that specifies that the lie includes its appearance on a resume.