According to some it is a victimless crime.
Many cases of stolen valor — like that of James McCaffery, who admitted to lying about having two Purple Hearts for decades to rise through the government ranks — are more widespread than anyone knows, according to military historians who track these cases.
Many of those liars will never face justice, as the Pentagon still lacks a comprehensive database of medal recipients and federal prosecutors — dissuaded in part by a Stolen Valor Act that is weaker than it once was — don’t prioritize the cases, they say.
“It’s pretty disgusting, because I have friends who are in Arlington who only got to wear their medals as they were being buried, and these guys just pin them on like they’re buttons or decorations,” John Lilyea, a former platoon sergeant in the U.S. Army who tracks stolen valor cases, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “That’s what sets off most veterans, because we know people who didn’t come home.”
Lilyea has tracked down and investigated stolen valor cases on his website — This Ain’t Hell, But You Can See It From Here — since 2008, compiling hundreds upon hundreds of alleged fraudsters through tips and extensive research.
“You’ll see it’s not a unique case,” Lilyea told TheDCNF, referencing the McCaffery case.
Doug Sterner, a former Army sergeant and military historian, who runs the Military Times’ Hall of Valor database of medal recipients, said stolen valor cases take “time away from typing up the citation of legitimate heroes.”
“It’s a far bigger problem than anybody realizes,” Sterner told TheDCNF.
Law enforcement officials made 78 arrests for stolen valor between Jan. 1, 2010, and Sept. 30, 2011 alone, generating more than $10 million in restitution and $5.4 million in savings, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (IG).
There are far more instances of stolen valor than law enforcement officials ever pursue, but both Sterner and Lilyea have run into the same problem — federal authorities are reluctant to prosecute cases they refer, viewing stolen valor as a low-level offense.
HT: TAH