Stolen Valor in PA spurs legislative action
Regular readers here will remember how Nate Fornwalt cheated Matthew Ott out of $2000 that Matt had raised to help veterans. Fornwalt had woven a tale about his exploits in the Marines that tugged at Matt’s heart strings, but those tales were all false. When Fornwalt wouldn’t return the money to Matt, TAH raised another $2000 for Matt. Well, Matt’s dad, John Ott, also a veteran got angry about Stolen Valor and started to influence his local legislators to write a Stolen Valor law for Pennsylvania. From CBS21;
John said he wants to push forward the state bill for every Purple Heart recipient and others who received high military honors. He says he will become the face behind this bill to make it a misdemeanor if a person misrepresents military heroics. “You need to understand and realize that if you steal valor you will not get away with it,” said John. Senate Bill 43 would make it a summary offense to wear improper insignia for the gain of profit, or a misdemeanor of the second degree for misrepresenting top military medals.
The news folks tried to talk to Nate Fornwalt, but he closed the door in their faces;
John called today and said that the Pennsylvania Stolen Valor Act is scheduled for a vote later this month.
Category: Stolen Valor Act
They should be able to get him on fraud right now. I hope they do. That would qualify under wire fraud if he did anything by phone or internet.
Fist make it a Felony for each false medal and 300.00 fine for each. Look at way the Aussies deal with their Walts. A good model to pattern your Stolen Valor after. Joe
Besides a stronger Stolen Valor law, we need a “Bernath Law” that prevents Stolen Valor phonies from harassing or taking frivolous legal action against people who out them for their bullshit.
Flagwaver, there are existing statutes that provide penalties for criminal retaliation but I really like your idea of pushing our legislatures to pass laws specific to the issue of Stolen Valor frauds threatening, harassing or intimidating those who legally expose their fraudulent activities.
Also, such laws should provide civil protections against baseless harassment law suits such as Bernath has filed including civil judgments against the filers of such suits.
Such laws would be a big help in exposing SV phonies, as many people, fearing civil suits and associated legal costs, now choose to ignore SV violations. If the public at large had immunity from tort retaliation by these tools, the SV phonies would find their behavior much riskier.
Your idea is one worth pursuing.
I know you are talking about doing away with the Facebook comments due to our current poser champion, but please don’t. He is comedy gold on a lot of Marine and Soldier Facebook sites. Some of the memes those kids come up with are pure comedy gold! He is truly the gift that keeps on giving!
Like syph and gono?
I just hate to have to use a public restroom when the person before you didn’t flush their bernasty!
As soon as I get back to the US, I am going to the Tigard VFW with your FOIA to make sure that you (Bernath) are not part of it (That is going to be about 2 or 3 hours out of the way of going home so thanks for that inconvenience in advance) as they are not responding to my emails currently and your (Birdcrap) story is up on their website to include you recovering the Apollo 8 guys and your Vietnam Cross with Gallantry you don’t have and your two bronze service stars you don’t have and so on and so forth. You posting Government Employees IP addresses all over the place and making fake websites about people who didn’t steal valor like your dumbass does not help your “I Love Veterans” case you are trying to make. You’re a fucking liar and you got called out on it, just let it go. You know who killed Nick Androski? Nick Androski did because he committed fucking suicide you dumbass, don’t use his fucking death to blame somebody for something. You make me so angry. I hope I see you one of these times I go to drill or you show up at our demobilization wearing all your bullshit with your highlighted marker CPO rank and your 8 out of 5 medals so I can tell everyone around me about your bullshit and watch you get pissed off and listen to you threaten to sue the State of Oregon with your terrible, terrible lawyer skills (which online reviews do say are pretty shitty). You are the kind of person who would sue someone after their dead like douschbag Ventura just because you’re so embarrassed and feel like such a bitch after somebody made the fact that you’re a piece of shit known to the public (the only difference is you are an awful Lawyer so you wouldn’t win). You do realize that you posting all the IP addresses and everything of DOD networks is 1000 times worse then anything anyone of us on this website could say to you… Read more »
“You … have a stupid beard”. Shit just got real
I felt like that would hit him the hardest.
Emmmmm, Jordan! Tell him how you really feel, lil bro. bwahaha!
“You … have a stupid beard”. Shit just got real