Edward Liroff; phony veteran
Edward Liroff applied for a government job in Port Saint Lucie, Florida and tried to pass himself off as a veteran with a bogus DD214 discharge certificate. Mike Lubek, the city’s assistant director of neighborhood services, wasn’t familiar with a DD214 so he asked Port St. Lucie police Officer Joseph Byrne to look at it. Byrne discovered that Liroff claimed awards that he couldn’t have earned.
Byrne noticed several irregularities on the form and concluded that Liroff never served in the military.
Among the discrepancies Byrne noted were that the Distinguished Service Medal was only awarded to four U.S. Army soldiers between 1983 and 2013 — Liroff was not among them — and that his Silver Star Medal was spelled incorrectly.
Byrne also discovered that Liroff was registered as a veteran with the Department of Veterans Affairs and had been receiving health care from the VA.
A warrant was issued for Liroff’s arrest and he was booked into the county jail.
Liroff also had Purple Heart license plates and a life membership in the VFW according to ABC News 10;
Liroff thought very highly of his lack of military service according to the police department;
Listed on the DD214 presented by Liroff it has listed that he is the recipient of:
• Distinguished Service Medal
• Silver Star Medal
• Legion of Merit Medal
• Bronze Star Medal
• Purple Heart Medal (Second Award)
• Air Medal for Valor
• Army Commendation Medal
• Army Achievement Medal
• Good Conduct Medal
• Nation Defense Medal
• Southwest Asia Service Medal
• Kosovo Campaign Medal
• Afghanistan Campaign Medal
• Iraq Campaign Medal
• Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
• Armed Forces Service Medal and Award for Operations Relating Former Rep. Yugoslavia
• Humanitarian Service Medal
• Several Service Ribbon
• Combat Infantryman’s Badge (Second Award)
• Combat Medical Badge
• Air Assault Badge
Category: Phony soldiers, Valor Vultures
Florida, why is it always Florida! I hope this cocksucker rots in jail! What a scumbag!
Yeah.
A future night watchman at All-Points Logistics.
A truly “Phil-losery” dude this turd is….
Cocksucker
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!
Shack.
(((OVER)))
Flori-DUH!
There’s gotta be something in the water down there. They probably overdid the whole fluoride thing, and now it’s affected their precious bodily fluids.
Nah – the combo of no state income tax, generous homestead protection from lawsuits, and a nice winter climate is enough to attract a disproportionate share of fraudsters to FL.
SoCA and parts of AZ get some too – but the income taxes seems to discourage many. And NV (even Vegas) gets pretty cold in the winter. f
Can’t speak for Texas, but I’d guess from San Antonio south they also draw their share. Although the legal climate there doesn’t seem to be as accepting of sh!tbaggery as FL, AZ, or CA.
AW1 Tim; And that’s why I have a super duper water purifer under my sink. I’m south of where he lives.
Hondo; You cannot beat the homestead deal with the dirt cheap property taxes down here, And I mean dirt cheap.
Florida offers a lot of goodies. First, no state income tax. Been here 24 years and haven’t paid a dime. Homestead exemption for all types of criteria, including disability rating from the VA. This benefits me greatly every year. I wonder how it is the state has no income tax, and I suppose it is b/c we milk the hell out of the tourist. We might be able to support the entire state just by the taxes generated by entities such as those in the Orlando area. Local sales taxes are, IMO, not unreasonable. In my area it comes to 7.5%. I know that is higher than in some areas of some states, but not having a state income tax more than offsets this IMO. Oh, and there is no tax on food purchased in a grocery store. Overall it’s a good deal. Yeah, we deal with the traffic, the crazies, the almost unbearable heat and bugs. Overall, it’s a win-win. At least for us. It’s hell, though, when we get those four flakes of snow every decade or so and the traffic is backed up for miles. LOL
Lovebugs!
I went to Flagler College (St. Augustine) for a year back in 1973. Had a great time … loved the jasmine in the old fountain … hated the lovebugs.
The water stinks like sulphur. After a shower, you need a shower. Maybe it’s different in the more populated areas but where I was, it was disgusting. And then there’s those critters that crawl all over everything. And heat. Too damn hot. And rainstorms, seemingly every day between 2 and 3 p.m. Drivers? 105 and have to have a diagram showing them that the long pedal is the accelerator and that other one is the brake. And New Yawkers. Too many of them. What else? Sand. Shit gets in everything.
NICE deer in the headlights look he has in the first pic, I ass-u-me that’s his mugshot and he’s thinking “OH SHIT, I’m gonna be the ‘Property’ of Bubba & Thor!”.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
That look would be the same look he’d give me after I kicked him in the balls.
Then you didn’t kick him hard enough.
You’re supposed to kick him so hard his balls are behind his tonsils, leaving him so bent over he cannot see anything but where his balls used to be.
That stare in the top pic brings back memories. When we had the NYC parking meter contract, I was collecting meters on the same block as the Bellvue Hospital when I noticed a person following me for awhile so I turned around with that stare and rolled my eyeballs around and let a lot of saliva drain out of my mouth looking at him then the guy took off like a bat out of hell. Looked like he tied his shoelaces tight or he would have jumped out of them. I heard that if a person sees a person that looks crazy, they wouldn’t mess with him/her. It worked and I avoided a possible confrontation or robbery.
Epic booking photo at the top… screams of “Mr. ‘Tiny’ is going to dork me in the squeakhole with THAT?!?!?”
Enjoy prison, BYTCH…
Hopefully, the first words he will hear is “BITE THE PILLOW, BYTCH!”
That is the look when Bubba says he’s going in dry.
That squeakhole shall never squeak again….just a quick exhalation sound
“Byrne also discovered that Liroff was registered as a veteran with the Department of Veterans Affairs and had been receiving health care from the VA.”
“Liroff also had Purple Heart license plates and a life membership in the VFW according to ABC News 10.”
VA health care. Purple heart plate. VFW membership. Is anyone doing their job, other than one Port St. Lucie police Officer Joseph Byrne?
ahem…material benefit…ahem
Evidently not. Unfortunately.
Purple Heart plates are free or reduced-cost in many if not most states, Graybeard. I’ve looked it up before and I’m pretty sure that’s the case in Florida. So, yeah: material benefit.
Getting PH plates under false pretenses also often qualifies as criminal conduct under state law (either tax evasion, false swearing, or both). Just ask a guy named Ladner about that. (smile)
He is probably a registered sex offender as well.
OMG! Please put out a safety brief before drinking my morning coffee!That is the look of having something shoved up your ass with bad intention.
I’m sure that Bubba & Thor will be up his ass in no time, knowhutimean?
Mitch Cumstein…sorry thought it was appropriate to break out a “Fletch” reference
It WAS Chevy Chase, but wrong movie – that’s from Caddyshack, not Fletch.
Dr.Rosenpenis?? John Cocktoasten?
The mugshot looks like one final desperate attempt to prove that he is who he said he is…
“See my THOUSAND yard stare? You see it? Oh yeah, that’s the PTSD in my bones.”
I love that deer in the headlights look, too.
That is also the look on a Southern boy’s face when his Momma calls him by his full name.
Absolute terror at the coming consequences for his stupidity.
Lol! So true.
Oooooooohhhhh …. I *always* hated being called by first-middle name! T.R.O.U.B.L.E!
I think we’ve identified a possible problem behind these posers: they didn’t have Southern Mommas’ to all ’em by their full name when they was growin’ up.
God bless Southern Mommas – and the Southern Daddys who back them up.
“to call ’em by”
GB Publishing regrets the typo.
good call on both OFC Byrne for putting a stop to this, and Mr. Lubek for realizing he was in over his head rather than passing the buck.
kudos, all.
You know … every time I switch VFW and Legion posts someone always wants to see my DD-214. But, to be honest, I don’t think anyone that’s actually looked at it (they never give it more than a cursory glance to see if I received an Honorable Discharge or not) know if they’re looking at a fake, or the real deal.
I’ve run across very few VFW and Legion posts that have actually run a check to confirm if my DD214 is legitimate. In fact, I can only think of one of each (and I’ve been a member of several VFW and Legion posts in Virginia, Florida, and Ohio) that have ever done so.
I just don’t understand how people like this are allowed to get a life membership in the VFW or Legion. All it takes is an interim membership until the DD-214 is confirmed by DoD. Once it’s confirmed then they can move to a regular and/or life membership, and if not confirmed then their interim membership can be revoked. Pretty damned simple.
Screw the DD-214 requirement.
Make it a signed SF-180 requirement.
Agreed!
What is a SF-180? i got out Jan 2, 1984 after serving 20 years-USAF & Navy, so i have no idea what that form is.
It’s a classic case of what is sometimes called “moral hazard.”
The BENEFIT of either looking the other way or just not asking too many questions is immediate and direct: It’s money for the chapter, and it’s membership and participation in activities.
(It should be no surprise that people who fake their military credentials are often very active in their local post’s activities. After all, being a fake Ranger/SEAL/Sniper or whatever is a very important part of their persona and they’re going to go to great lengths to burnish that fake reputation.)
On the other hand, the RISK of taking in fakers or embellishers is diffused – maybe the post gets a black eye or gets the reputation as being a haven for posers, but that’s not something that has an immediate effect or affects the day-to-day operations of the post.
So since the BENEFIT is immediate and tangible, while the RISK is vague and diffused, there is a strong incentive to simply accept people for who they say they are.
After all, most cities of any size have multiple VFW and AL posts and in a sense, all these posts are competing with each other for membership.
Maybe I can get the local LEO to look at my pos brother David “Doc” Shrum for my birthday today? They seem to be the only ones interested in doing anything? They at least took away his phony Purple Heart license plates! Now if they would only throw him in prison where he belongs???
Happy Birthday, WW!
Enjoy your special day! 🎁😊
Was that your birthday wish, Willy? Give it time. It’ll happen. Busting the phonies properly takes time.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANYWAY!!!!
Have a happy birthday anyway, WW. Don’t let the turkeys get you down.
Life is still good and you’ve a lot to be grateful for.
Thank you all! Another year older, but it beats the alternative!!
Nice going Willy. Another year ahead.
Make it a good one.
Happy Birthday WW.
Crap, accidentally hit the “report comment” button.
Happy B’Day, Willy!
Happy Birthday, WW!!
Well that’s not the 1000 yard stare, it’s more the, “I’m a fucking idiot” stare..
What a fuckstick, I hope he gets an appropriate dose of Karma as soon and as often as possible.
But what DUI/unit affiliation is he claiming? He should be dropped in their battalion area and let the privates go Lord of the Flys on him with e-tools.
That dude looks zooted off the powder, cocaine/meth is ahellava drug.
*Flies…
I need a proofreader that isn’t a ‘tard.
SINCERE KUDOS to Officer Joseph Byrne, I’d like to buy him a shot and a beer if we were to ever meet up someplace that serves Adult Beverages!
And another of the same for the un-named “City of Port St. Lucie Assistant Director of Neighborhood Services” who was wise enough to realize that he needed some help validating the doc, rather than just accepting it at face value.
Both of them could teach lessons at the VA on “how to actually use your noodle when presented with documentation of service.”
I saw that “Oh shit, I done F-ed up!” look during my days as the VSO in our ‘bustling metropolis’. MA provides financial assistance to vets who can prove service and need – I had a kid produce an altered DD 214 from the transfer point at Ft. Ord, CA dated 2014. Huge red flag, since I was once upon a time stationed at the Planet way back in my Army days I knew I had been closed about 20 years by then; the guy had been to “Afaghanistan” for two tours (wherever the hell that is), and had completed Green Beret Sniper training (not Special Forces). I called him on the BS, he had that same look on his mug and he hauled ass. Thing is he left the fake doc in my office, a week later he showed up at the town adiministrator’s office trying to get it back saying he “forgot it”. I dropped it off with the boys in blue, when the secretary called to ask me about it I told her where it was. When she relayed the message I heard him say “Oh, Fuck…” like he was in the same room. Not sure if he tried that again in another town.
Love it.
From the area he was claiming to be from… A fag hanistan sounds about right… Just saying.
I just can’t get over the contrast between the smug a-hole in his fake uniform and the terrified prisoner about to meet his new celly..
Gotta love the moment someone realizes that the fecal material has finally impacted the ventilation device…
…and the ventilation device is blowing full force in his face.
“You done messed up now A-A-Ron!!!!!”
I’ll apologize in advance for the soapbox rant and certainly I’ve said this before but I think it bears repeating: The first step in solving a problem is admitting that there is a problem and I don’t see either the VFW or the AL are there yet. I dipped my toes in both the VFW and the AL after I retired in 2005 and neither one of them did anything to dispel the stereotype of the “old man’s drinking club.” Maybe it’s time we started taking a hard look at VSOs altogether. VSO’s flourished during the years following WWII. That only makes sense as something like 16 million Americans served in the armed forces during the war years. But with WWII veterans dying off and with a much, much smaller number of veterans since WWII, maybe we need to start asking whether our current veterans actually need TWO VSOs (that are, in essence, in competition with each other for members?) And of those VSOs, do we really need all the posts/chapters that we have? Once again, they are in competition with each other for members and for money and that kind of competition can lead to exactly the kind of “moral hazard” that I mentioned above. Let’s say you’re in charge of recruiting members for post 123. You talk to some folks who are interested in joining but you are suspicious of their credentials, so you ask them to provide proof. Well, maybe they’ll provide that proof – or maybe they’ll just go down the street to post 456 where they don’t ask as many embarrassing questions. Pretty soon post 123 has dwindled down to 15 core members – all genuine and verified veterans – and is on the verge of closing its doors and meanwhile post 456 has 200 members and a brand new post HQ. Sure, 50% of them are out-right fakers, but so what? The money from fakers is just as green as the money from real vets, right? If the posts weren’t competing with each other there wouldn’t be as much of an incentive to look… Read more »
The first thing the VFW could do is drop their bogus entry policy that recognizes post-1954 South Korea service as a “foreign war”. Heck, even if you’re on the DMZ and at times come under fire or on combat patrol … it’s not a war (unless a Nork ax-handle squad comes after you) — it’s an armistice, a cessation of hostilities.
I was in 2ID for six months before getting my command (faaaaar south at the southern-most point of SoKor). Yet, the VFW will allow me to join. If I wanted to. Which I don’t.
Isn’t that the American Legion? Or did the VFW change their rules.
My recollection was that the AL had slightly less restrictive rules (or another way to say it is that they had a broader definition of who qualified) so that it was possible for a veteran to qualify for membership in the AL and not the VFW.
VFW.
Sheesh.
Link.
https://www.vfw.org/eligibility
VFW Eligibility Periods for Korea:
AFEM 1 Oct 66 to 30 Jun 74
Korea Defense Service Medal 28 Jul 54 – Open
Good to go as long as you pay the dues.
Oops, too slow.
Oh, Well, sometimes you get the bear, other days the bear gets you.
But take heart, the Army still awards an Overseas Service Ribbon for a tour to Hawaii./smile
Adding just a little bit to my post above, I think that like an alcoholic or a drug addict who refuses to admit he has a problem, the VSOs are going to have to hit “rock bottom” before they really face up to the issue of the posers and fakers in their ranks.
And that’s a real shame, because a reputation is something that takes a long time to build up and once that reputation has been destroyed, it’s going to be tough to rebuild.
I know Jonn likes to remind us of the good works that VSOs have done in the past. I don’t doubt that but it doesn’t change the fact that fewer and fewer veterans are joining VSOs and their members are dying off.
Allowing posers/fakers/embellishers to remain in the existing posts or even to assume leadership positions is only going to hasten their demise.
Once the VSOs get a reputation for being the haven of fakers and blowhards, nobody is going to pay them any attention at all, and there go all the “good works.”
Martinjmpr.
“…..stereotype of the “old man’s drinking club.”
That sort of reminds me of some of the VSO’s that are located in my area. It seems like after the meetings (if not before) there is a mad dash for the bar where the booze flows & the stories get taller.
There is an exception just North of me.
The Oneida Tribe VFW.
No bar & no Booze, and no one complains.
They also do a very through vetting of any and all prospective members.
A number of my buddies up in that area have left their old posts and joined the one in Oneida.
They also do a fair number of charitable events for the Reservation and the surrounding communities.
Doesn’t surprise me at all. From what I’ve seen Indian nations generally do more to honor their veterans than the non-Indian general population.
Given that many (if not most) of the remaining Indian tribes were once warrior cultures, shouldn’t surprise anyone that they revere their own warriors.
Seems appropriate to link to this awesome Hondo post from a number of years back, where he discusses a practical mechanism for solving the problem:
http://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=47844
This bug-eyed little motherfucker had already infiltrated his phony ass into and through the VA system, VFW, FL DMV, and almost into local municipal government. The only thing left to do after that would have been to nominate himself for placement in the Army Ranger Hall of Fame at Benning.
This fucker needs to be put away for longtime…FUCK THIS GUY!!!
Wellllll …. although not mentioned in the police report quoted at the top, the faker Edward Liroff is wearing the RANGER Tab and Senior Parachutist Badge with what looks like two bronze stars representing two combat jumps.
Edward Liroff = Liar.Liar.Liar
Yeah, get him in all his fake finery, hook him up, and drop him over the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Yup, I caught the Ranger Tab on his blues in the photo. FUCK THIS GUY!!!
Air Medal for Valor?
Yeah; OK.
Sure thing, shitbird.
Believe it or don’t, the V device is authorized on the Air Medal; oak leaf clusters and the C device are authorized as well. Not on this guy; but on actual recipients.
Dennis – not chevy:
Concur; I know several guys who have Air Medals with V.
I was just trying to make a (lame) joke about this poser assclown claiming to have one.
It’s cool.
Mick, per the Police Officer interview video posted on the police department link, Officer Byrne says one of the “war stories” that Edward Liroff would tell as a lie while attending PTSD counseling sessions at the VA was of rescuing people from a crashed/burning helicopter.
I’m betting that Edward Liroff took that to mean the award should be an Aviation related Air Medal w/V and not the Soldier’s Medal.
You know, Air Medal and helicopter go together, and to quote Dr. Evil “that old chestnut”.
At least he didn’t go too big and award himself the Distinguished Flying Cross./smile
Yup.
He could have upped the ante a bit by falsely claiming a DFC with Combat ‘V’ and at least 5 air-to-air kills, and then referring to himself thereafter as ‘Ace’.
Yes Sir. I also know several men who were awarded an Air Medal w/V. In fact a few of them held an Infantry MOS, not an Aviation MOS.
I caught your joke about it right away. Not lame, just the truth./smile
He’s missing the Gen. Custer 7th Cav. Indian scout medal.
He’s wearing that one on his Little Big Horn.
Even though not listed on his fake DD214, I notice he is rocking the Ranger Tab metal device on his fake blues. And worst of all he is wearing the fucking bow tie. No real combat trigger puller wears the bow tie and lets his picture be taken. I only wore my dress blues twice (once was my wedding) while on AD, but I refused to wear that damn bow tie. Don’t care what the uni regs say about it.
rgr769,
Agree with you about the bow tie (I hate it), but that’s what the regs state.
Gotta wear one at the SFA 37 Chicago Mil Ball in 2 weeks.
This guy pisses me off more than most because he evidently succeeded in defrauding/taking advantage of the taxpayer and administrative lack of oversight by various players. Hell, just kill him. Or bury him … alive … in a special dishonor section at some remote DVA National Cemetery.
John
John W
My wedding reception was in the evening, but no bow tie was worn. Since I was the only one in a military uniform, no one but me knew I was “out of uniform” with the straight tie. My bride, an Army nurse who often failed to conform to Army uni regs, was oblivious to my military fashion faux pas.
As for your plan for a final disposition for this shitbag disguised as human, your solution works for me.
rgr769,
Good luck to you and yours. Thanks for the post.
Some of the frauds are obviously mentally handicapped, some are BSer’s who are harmless, but get called out, and some are loser wannabees. Can’t get upset about the kids who wear the stuff and post online when it’s obvious that the never raised their hands.
The one’s that get to me are the shysters that defraud the VA, taxpayer, or political system with claims of valor and distinguished service.
v/r
John Wright
Thanks, enjoy your military ball. I think the last one I attended was at SFOC. My date was a stripper I met at one of the outlying Ft. Bragg “O” clubs. The guys in the know in my class got quite a kick out of that.
Not to beat up on the obvious, but since it’s Florida, it’s only fair to ask if Liroff got the job he was after…
That photo was taken when he first hit the prison showers and saw his new wifes wang. Enjoy the nut butter asshole.
Ass Hamster first class. Bubba will make that squeak hole look like the Baltimore tunnel!
Thankfully 1 cop had the brains to verify this shit bag
is a phony.
Drop him in boiling oil.