Malloy signs CT’s Stolen Valor law
ChipNASA sends a link to the press release from the Connecticut Governor, Dannel P. Malloy announcing that he has signed that state’s Stolen Valor legislation;
“Misrepresenting oneself as having served in our military for your own profit is not only disrespectful, but selfish and cannot be tolerated,” said Governor Malloy. “Serving in our military is an incredibly honorable act. Especially as our country prepares to observe Memorial Day this weekend, we should take this opportunity to reflect on the generations of men and women who have fought to make our nation a better, stronger place.”
The crime remains punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine between $500 and $1,000, or both.
“Our military men and women and their families have made tremendous sacrifices for us. It is important that we take every opportunity to assist our veterans in all the ways we can,” said Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman. “Ensuring housing, healthcare, and job training are a big part of protecting our veterans, but this legislation makes it clear we will also defend the very titles they have fought so hard to earn.”
Special attention should be given to this paragraph;
“When I was an active member in the military, I was prepared to go into a combat zone to give up my life to defend our nation’s freedoms – that was an oath taken very seriously,” said State Representative Jack Hennessy (D-Bridgeport), co-chair of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “People that walk around pretending to be in the military, or pretending to have served, disrespect those who have actually served and those that have made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Jack Hennessy is indeed an Army Ranger – he was my roomie nearly 40 years ago. The Gregory Banks story got him involved in the stole valor issue. Last year, someone reported Jack to me because they thought he was a phony, so we reconnected through that incident. It’s too bad that the legislation was passed too late to hammer Banks or his little cabana boy over the head with it.
Category: Stolen Valor Act
More and more states are picking up where the feds left off. Trust me, these guys will soon have no ground to go to when they start up their lies and fraud.
Maybe they will go after their US Senator, blumenthal now…
Very first thing that popped into my mind when I read the headline.
What would be the biggest win for a Stolen Valor law is to have something on the books to force police and DAs to arrest and take these cases to trial. Oh, wait there already is, it’s called doing your Job!
How do you like me now Banks?
KMRIA!
BREAK
Great story Jonn!
Good for Connecticut!!! I hope we see more states follow their lead.
This is great news…and in other great news, AJ Dickens,Phony Sea, pleaded guilty to his charges.
I’m assuming Possession of A Firearm by a Convicted Felon as well as his other con games, is Stolen Valor one of them?
Here’s the story via Dan Noyes.
FAKE NAVY SEAL TO PLEAD GUILTY — When investigators in Carson City, Nevada saw our report about AJ Dicken in 2013, they knew they had a case. I reported that Dicken bilked more than 800-thousand dollars out of several people, with his tall tales of being a retired Navy SEAL. He actually never served a day in the military. But, it was the video we showed of him firing automatic weapons that got him arrested. Dickens has several felony convictions in his past, and is not allowed to possess firearms. A prosecutor told me today that Dicken has waived his right to a prelim, so he can plead “guilty” to the weapons charge. He faces one to six years in prison. There is still a possibility of federal charges in connection with all that money he got from people.
Good stuff.
I wonder what Gregy Banks is up to these days?
I’ll take ‘getting dicks slapped out of his mouth at the truck stop’ for $500. And ‘trolling high school locker rooms’ for the Daily Double.
…or sniffing bicycle seats in the junior high school parking lot?
Feel good legislation.
I’m not holding my breath that’s for sure.
Oh, local DA’s are much more likely to prosecute this sort of thing than are the nameless, faceless federal prosecutors.
This is just great.
You are 100% correct. The law is a nice gesture. And that’s all.
Good for the State of Conneticut!
That’s one in a row. But it still does not negate the anti-2A bill that he signed into law in the wake of the Newtown shooting.
Been wearing your ASU lately, greggy-boy?
Shout out to Oath Keeper … he deserves some credit here!
Thanks, Chief! Couldn’t have done it without you.
Hold the phone. CT Gov Maloy’s PR statement says, in part, “Misrepresenting oneself as having served in our military for your own profit is not only disrespectful, but selfish and cannot be tolerated.” Well, it is being tolerated. The CT law DOES NOT, unlike the SC stolen valor law recently noted here, make it a crime for one to say he served when he did not. Instead, the law goes no farther than the federal law. Also, the CT bill had nearly 50 House co-sponsors but Hennessey was not among them. he did, however, vote for the bill’s passage (143-0) and the law is effective Oct 1, 2014.
The model law for other states is the South Carolina language, not CT’s.
He should have his license taken away.
I just saw this this morning (I knew it was in process of being passed)…absolutely outstanding. I am so glad that SOMETHING came of our investigation. I am disappointed by the seemingly minor penalties that go along with stealing valor, but I am glad that they did something.
Thanks to all that were involved in this investigation – I cannot thank you all enough.
does anyone have a copy of the WFSB video on gregory banks? it’s no longer there …. I need to find it?