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                      VA NEWS FLASH from Larry Scott at VA Watchdog dot Org -- 12-18-2008		  



 


 
 

 


 



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VETERAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FALSELY CLAIMING MEDALS --

Vet filed claim for PTSD and falsely stated he had been

awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.

 

 

Story here... http://seattlepi.nwsource.c
om/local/392668_bogushero18.html

Story below:

Your comments accepted at bottom of page.

 

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Veteran pleads guilty to falsely claiming medals

By PAUL SHUKOVSKY
P-I REPORTER



A Sumner man who falsely claimed to be a Vietnam-era war hero pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to making false claims of military service, awards and decorations.

Steve Bennest, 57, in making an application to the Veterans Affairs Seattle office in support of a compensation claim for alleged post-traumatic stress disorder, falsely asserted that he had been awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. Bennest served in the Army between 1969 and 1972, but did not earn either of the medals, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Bennest faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. But defendants who reach plea agreements with the government rarely have the maximum sentence imposed upon them.

 The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General investigated the case as part of its "Operation Stolen Valor," which has been targeting people who make such false claims of military service and commit monetary fraud against the government.

Bogus veteran Jesse MacBeth was arrested by VA investigators working Operation Stolen Valor cases in 2007. He was sentenced to five months in prison in September 2007 after he falsely claimed to be a corporal in the elite Army Rangers who was wounded in combat and saw war crimes committed by American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Like Bennest, MacBeth, of Tacoma, had filed fraudulent claims for benefits with the Veterans Affairs Office.

 

P-I reporter Paul Shukovsky can be reached at 206-448-8072 or paulshukovsky@seattlepi.com.

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posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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