Tim Espinosa; phony vet
Someone sent us a link yesterday to an editorial in the Jefferson Post by Ken Lynn in regards to stolen valor. It piqued my interest, so I went looking for the subject of the editorial – it turns out that it was Tim Espinosa, a local business owner. The Post did an article on him and his business in which he claimed to be a 14-year veteran of the Army and that he had suffered a head injury. He also had claimed that his business was veteran-owned;

The Post got suspicious about his claims and did the leg work to get a FOIA;
The Jefferson Post made multiple attempts, beginning June 27, to reach out to Espinosa and his wife seeking documentation of his service claims. While Espinosa claimed through his wife that he had access to those records, he never provided those to the Jefferson Post.
A Freedom of Information Act request was also filed with the U.S. Army’s Human Resources Command, which can provide basic information related to a service member’s career.
On July 28, that office stated Espinosa had never served in the army.
Of course, he denied it at first, claiming that his name was spelled wrong on the FOIA.
Espinosa did, ultimately, admit that afternoon that he had never served in the U.S. Army.
“Look, I’m sorry I said what I did,” Espinosa said. “I’m trying to build something for my family here, for my boys.”
Yeah, well, you don’t start something for your family built on lies.
I’d like to thank the Jefferson Post, Ken Lynn and Adam Orr for taking an interest in the subject. You don’t know how rare it is for newspapers to check facts on these guys.
Category: Phony soldiers, Valor Vultures
Great job on the part of the paper. I’m glad to see that there are journalists who will actually do research when something doesn’t sound right.
Wow… someone that actually remembered to do some background work on a story before having it printed.
Good Job, Ken Lynn!
Once the DRG finishes their morning COCK-tails I’m sure they’ll wander over to that newspapers site and vomit all over the comments section.
No doubt they’ll get around to it. After they play their first round of hide the salami in the shower together.
While playing “What, what (in the butt)” by Samwell
Don’t Google that shit… definitely NSFW or anyone!
I hoope anyone from the Jefferson Post or Ken Lynn and Adam Orr come here to TAH and this thread and see this.
Good JOB! You’re earned this.
Well done to the entire staff at the Jefferson Post. So rare that jounalists actually do, well, their jobs.
Glad to see this done, to clear up something that didn’t quite fit.
I guess something didn’t smell right at High Country Seafood.
I read the original Ashe Mountain Times article with care and what I found did not surprise me. The writer, James Howell, properly sourced most information within the article to Espinosa by repeatedly writing “according to Espinosa” or “Espinosa said.” And that’s the way it should be done. But then something happened. As soon as Howell began to relate Espinosa’s military background, he reported it as fact without attribution to Espinosa. He wrote, “Espinosa spent more than 14 years in the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Bragg. However, his time was cut short after he received a head injury.” He may as well have written, ‘Sunrise occurred at 6:08 EST this morning.’ Both are factual statements. Were it not for the paper’s suspicious readers who, I’m guessing, are Veterans, that would have been the end of it.
I get that we want to encourage papers not to accept without any corroboration military service claims, but I’m not giving Howell a pass. My question to him is this: Why did you source your information to Espinosa’s lips until you heard his military service claim and then treated it as independent fact?
One word from our sponsor, Espinosepicker.
DOH !!! (Forehead slap included)
I’d like to thank the Jefferson Post, Ken Lynn and Adam Orr for taking an interest in the subject. You don’t know how rare it is for newspapers to check facts on these guys.
Absolutely, a rare job well done by some people actually interested in seeking the truth about stolen valor. Another shit stain attempting to justify being a liar by claiming he did it for his kids. Hey sport, your kids will be able to respect you a great deal more if you aren’t a lying sack of shit. You could have started with the truth when you opened your business.
Cocksucker.
Oh hell no you did not just throw your kids under the bus as an excuse did you?
I’m trying to do something for my little boy and girl too you prick… live a life of honor!
He still has a head injury.
Nah, it’s FTS (Fractured Taint Syndrome) a common ailment among those that engage in Stolen Valor…
This kind of story is refreshing, especially since a majority of media outlets don’t check facts first (but will still publish or broadcast a story as if it were true).
Getting stories half right or reporting them without first having all the facts has become commonplace. TRUTH encroaches on folks’ “safe spaces” I suppose.
The Jefferson Post did it right.
Clown.
Cocksucker
Sorry, David, but ex-OS2 has copyright control of the term ‘Cocksucker’ on TAH. You may legally choose any of the many alternative words to describe posers. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Bwhaaa
That’s true. GT has turd and all things turd related and ex-OS2 has cocksucker.
I like to stick with shitbird myself.
SHITBIRD.
#cocksucker
Pole Smoker!
Not denigrating the journalist at all but why did they do a check on such an undistinguished claim? He just said he was a 14-year Veteran is all I see. I wouldn’t have thought twice about that unless there was more to it
Let’s see:
Tim Espinosa
Served 14 years in the US Army, nope a fucking lie.
Received head injury while service in the military, nope a fucking lie.
Runs a veteran owned business, nope a fucking lie.
Shitbag liar, yep.
More than likely sucks cock to supplement his income, yep.
#cocksucker