bobdina
10-03-2009, 10:59 AM
Authorities: Activist claimed false medals
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Oct 2, 2009 17:32:02 EDT
U.S. authorities have charged an admitted military faker exposed by Colorado veterans this spring for lying about being a Marine captain who served three tours in Iraq, was wounded in combat and survived the 9/11 terror attack on the Pentagon.
Richard Strandlof, 32, was charged Thursday with violating the federal Stolen Valor Act, which prohibits claiming military decorations that have not been earned. Using the alias Rick Duncan, Strandlof became an activist, founding the Colorado Veterans Alliance and campaigning for anti-war political candidates under the premise. He told other veterans that he was a Purple Heart and Silver Star recipient wounded by an improvised explosive device in 2004 in Fallujah, Iraq, authorities said in an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Denver.
The affidavit marks the first time Strandlof has been accused of claiming a military medal — an important part to being charged under Stolen Valor legislation. Some veterans had questioned whether Strandlof would face charges for misrepresenting himself, because although he eventually admitted lying about being a war hero, photos of him wearing a phony military medal never surfaced.
Authorities said in the affidavit that Strandlof told veterans on several occasions he rated the Purple Heart. In April, he agreed to wear his medals during a Colorado event for veterans, but attended it without them, saying that he did not wear his Purple Heart or his Silver Star “because it would appear egotistical,” the affidavit said.
One month later, the group concluded Strandlof was a liar.
They had already begun to compile documents needed to become a formal nonprofit organization and met with the office of Sen. Mark Udall, D.-Colo., veteran alliance members said in a May statement. After notifying authorities, the group agreed to set up a May 13 meeting with Strandlof and FBI agents, who Strandlof did not know would be attending.
At the meeting, an FBI agent identified himself and asked Strandlof whether his name was Duncan or Strandlof, said former Army Staff Sgt. Dan Warvi, a former alliance member. Strandlof’s answer: “Both,” according to the CVA’s statement.
After the revelation, the group’s board of directors voted to disband their organization, saying in a statement that “we feel his actions permanently damaged the reputation of Colorado Veterans Alliance to the point that no future efforts can go forward.”
The affidavit also outlines other alleged misdeeds by Strandlof. He was suspected in a fraud scheme in Nevada in which he said he would bring a Grand Prix automobile race to Reno, Nev., authorities said, and had used both Duncan and Pierson as alias last names in the past, authorities said.
Online discussions
The Colorado case — and the months that passed without authorities filing charges — frustrated veterans across the country, and spawned spirited discussion in veterans communities online. A Sept. 23 entry on the American Legion’s Burn Pit blog, questioning why he had not been charged, generated more than 120 comments, and at least a dozen bloggers took up the issue afterward.
“Here we have a guy who has admitted to lying about his service and making up stories that portray [veterans] in such a negative manner, and we can’t get our law enforcement officials at the [Justice Department] to apply the law to them,” said Mark Seavey, a former Virginia National Guardsman who wrote the blog post on Burn Pit.
“But, Democrat or Republican, right or left wing, we’re going to look out for our brothers and sisters in arms and keep outing these phonies so we don’t have our honor stolen from us by charlatans like has happened in the past.”
Authorities said this spring that in addition to the Stolen Valor case, they were investigating whether Strandlof had used any of the money his organization collected for his own personal gain. The affidavit does not address the issue, and authorities believe they have concluded their investigation, said Jeff Dorschner, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado.
Speaking on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” in June, Strandlof said he was suffering from “serious under-diagnosed mental illness” when he began his deception and was “caught up in the moment of an election and being surrounded by people who were passionate and loved what they did.”
Strandlof also said he doesn’t think he is a pathological liar and that he did not embezzle money from the veterans alliance.
“We did not take money to use on non-veterans projects,” he said. “I did not enrich myself on this. I did not gain any money from this.”
Even if that is the case, Strandlof dishonored veterans by lying and using his claims to draw attention to himself, Warvi said.
“Some would say what Rick did in claiming military service and combat wounds was a minor infraction and not worth of federal investigation,” Warvi said. “Service members and veterans alike would vehemently disagree. Rick did not simply fake a minor injury for a few free beers in a bar. He claimed one of the most serious and debilitating injuries of modern warfare, a traumatic brain injury
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/10/marine_fakercharged_100209w/
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Oct 2, 2009 17:32:02 EDT
U.S. authorities have charged an admitted military faker exposed by Colorado veterans this spring for lying about being a Marine captain who served three tours in Iraq, was wounded in combat and survived the 9/11 terror attack on the Pentagon.
Richard Strandlof, 32, was charged Thursday with violating the federal Stolen Valor Act, which prohibits claiming military decorations that have not been earned. Using the alias Rick Duncan, Strandlof became an activist, founding the Colorado Veterans Alliance and campaigning for anti-war political candidates under the premise. He told other veterans that he was a Purple Heart and Silver Star recipient wounded by an improvised explosive device in 2004 in Fallujah, Iraq, authorities said in an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Denver.
The affidavit marks the first time Strandlof has been accused of claiming a military medal — an important part to being charged under Stolen Valor legislation. Some veterans had questioned whether Strandlof would face charges for misrepresenting himself, because although he eventually admitted lying about being a war hero, photos of him wearing a phony military medal never surfaced.
Authorities said in the affidavit that Strandlof told veterans on several occasions he rated the Purple Heart. In April, he agreed to wear his medals during a Colorado event for veterans, but attended it without them, saying that he did not wear his Purple Heart or his Silver Star “because it would appear egotistical,” the affidavit said.
One month later, the group concluded Strandlof was a liar.
They had already begun to compile documents needed to become a formal nonprofit organization and met with the office of Sen. Mark Udall, D.-Colo., veteran alliance members said in a May statement. After notifying authorities, the group agreed to set up a May 13 meeting with Strandlof and FBI agents, who Strandlof did not know would be attending.
At the meeting, an FBI agent identified himself and asked Strandlof whether his name was Duncan or Strandlof, said former Army Staff Sgt. Dan Warvi, a former alliance member. Strandlof’s answer: “Both,” according to the CVA’s statement.
After the revelation, the group’s board of directors voted to disband their organization, saying in a statement that “we feel his actions permanently damaged the reputation of Colorado Veterans Alliance to the point that no future efforts can go forward.”
The affidavit also outlines other alleged misdeeds by Strandlof. He was suspected in a fraud scheme in Nevada in which he said he would bring a Grand Prix automobile race to Reno, Nev., authorities said, and had used both Duncan and Pierson as alias last names in the past, authorities said.
Online discussions
The Colorado case — and the months that passed without authorities filing charges — frustrated veterans across the country, and spawned spirited discussion in veterans communities online. A Sept. 23 entry on the American Legion’s Burn Pit blog, questioning why he had not been charged, generated more than 120 comments, and at least a dozen bloggers took up the issue afterward.
“Here we have a guy who has admitted to lying about his service and making up stories that portray [veterans] in such a negative manner, and we can’t get our law enforcement officials at the [Justice Department] to apply the law to them,” said Mark Seavey, a former Virginia National Guardsman who wrote the blog post on Burn Pit.
“But, Democrat or Republican, right or left wing, we’re going to look out for our brothers and sisters in arms and keep outing these phonies so we don’t have our honor stolen from us by charlatans like has happened in the past.”
Authorities said this spring that in addition to the Stolen Valor case, they were investigating whether Strandlof had used any of the money his organization collected for his own personal gain. The affidavit does not address the issue, and authorities believe they have concluded their investigation, said Jeff Dorschner, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado.
Speaking on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” in June, Strandlof said he was suffering from “serious under-diagnosed mental illness” when he began his deception and was “caught up in the moment of an election and being surrounded by people who were passionate and loved what they did.”
Strandlof also said he doesn’t think he is a pathological liar and that he did not embezzle money from the veterans alliance.
“We did not take money to use on non-veterans projects,” he said. “I did not enrich myself on this. I did not gain any money from this.”
Even if that is the case, Strandlof dishonored veterans by lying and using his claims to draw attention to himself, Warvi said.
“Some would say what Rick did in claiming military service and combat wounds was a minor infraction and not worth of federal investigation,” Warvi said. “Service members and veterans alike would vehemently disagree. Rick did not simply fake a minor injury for a few free beers in a bar. He claimed one of the most serious and debilitating injuries of modern warfare, a traumatic brain injury
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/10/marine_fakercharged_100209w/