Court-Martial Trial Practice Blog
A retired Coast Guard chief warrant officer 2 who claimed to be a decorated and combat-hardened SEAL — and managed to get a disability rating from the government — has pleaded guilty to wearing combat awards he did not earn.
He also claimed to have earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star with “V” for valor, Purple Heart with four stars, a Combat Action Ribbon and Vietnam War-era awards. The Coast Guard clerk bought the story and added the awards to Barnhart’s DD 214. Later DD 214 alterations would add a Navy Commendation with “V” device, Presidential Unit Citation with three stars, and Vietnamese Medal of Honor First and Second Class.
reports Navy Times.
[Update to previous report] the Ramona Sentinel.com reports.
A Ramona man who admitted to posing as a major general in the U.S. Marine Corps has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor federal charge that alleges he violated the Stolen Valor Act by wearing medals he did not earn.
The ABC Action News reports.
An ABC Action News Investigation has resulted in federal charges for a Tampa man who has been masquerading as a highly decorated U.S. Marine.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged Ocasio with two counts of violating the Stolen Valor Act, the federal law making it illegal to wear or claim to have received awards of valor like the Navy Cross.
He’s also been charged with falsifying government documents, specifically the DD-214. He showed the falsified documents at area VFW’s and American Legion Halls in order to gain membership.