What Is Stolen Valor? Arizona Man's Phony Exploits Inspire Law To Crack Down On

PHOENIX — A man accused of faking a military record and taking advantage of military families is just the latest claim of an Arizona resident pretending to have served in the armed forces for personal gain. A number of high-profile "stolen valor" cases have occurred in Arizona over the years, including a man in Willcox, Arizona, whose tall tales about being a decorated war hero spurred Congress to pass a law in 2006 against military impersonations. An Arizona Republic investigation showed Matt Augee, who runs the Phoenix nonprofit RecFX Foundation, repeatedly claimed he served as a soldier and sheriff's deputy. Military and law enforcement have no record of it. Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. Augee also is accused of duping veterans out of tens of thousands of dollars and taking donations for himself, former supporters said. Multiple people, including Augee's parents and a member of the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame, reported him to state and federal authorities, but investigators filed no charges. Augee maintains he did nothing wrong. Stolen valor is an insult to 'real heroes' Doug Sterner, a Vietnam veteran and military historian, researches cases like Augee's and maintains the Hall of Valor, the largest database of verified U.S. Military award citations. He said veterans who slightly embellish "war stories" about real service are typically harmless. Instead, stolen valor generally refers to people who claim time in the military, military medals or acts of bravery on the battlefield that they never participated in or earned at all. "It devalues the sense of who our real heroes are," Sterner, of Colorado, said. Stolen valor cases are important to investigate because they can be a sign of additional fraud, he said. "These are people that lie to gain the confidence of others and then take advantage of them, often with great financial repercussions," Sterner said. Fibbing about military service may be more common than people realize. A 2008 investigation by the Chicago Tribune found that one-third of the profiles that mentioned military medals in the online edition of Who's Who, a well-known compendium of biographies, were not supported by military records. The newspaper also discovered more than 80% of obituaries that claimed decorations for bravery were suspect. And military cemeteries across the country featured headstones engraved with bogus awards. Arizona man inspires Stolen Valor Act Sterner and his wife, Pam Sterner, wrote the book "Restoring Valor" about their successful effort to pass a federal law to crack down on phony veterans. Their inspiration came from Gilbert Velasquez, a bogus war hero from Willcox, about 90 miles east of Tucson. Velasquez was featured on the front page of the Arizona Range News weekly for his supposed exploits as an Army Ranger. © Courtesy of Doug Sterner A screenshot of the front page featuring Arizona military impersonator Gilbert Velasquez, who spurred the federal Stolen Valor Act. He claimed to have captured Saddam Hussein, found two of Hussein's dead sons, chased Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, saved his men by destroying a tank in Iraq and fought in Somalia during the tragic "Black Hawk Down" battle, according to a copy of the article and the Sterners' book.  Velasquez showed reporters photos of him in Iraq, a chunk of marble ostensibly from Hussein's palace and an official-looking military service document known as a DD-214.  Velasquez also carried a case of medals purportedly acquired as a result of his courage, including two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. He buried his Distinguished Service Cross alongside a fallen commander, he told the newspaper. Sterner was skeptical when he read the article. He knew from his research no one at that time had been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for decades. Other details of the story didn't check out. And Sterner deemed it unlikely that a 33-year-old soldier would have participated in so many notable operations without attracting attention outside his small town. After Sterner raised doubts with the newspaper, the story was retracted, according to "Restoring Valor." Official military records requested by the reporter revealed Velasquez had never served in the places he claimed, the Sterners wrote. Motivated by the case, Pam Sterner convinced her husband to help her lobby members of Congress to make it illegal for people to falsely claim they received a U.S. Military decoration or medal. © Getty Images/iStockphoto Close up images of military service medals. Illegal to claim prestigious medals for profit The Stolen Valor Act was signed into law in 2006 by President George W. Bush and was revised in 2013 under President Barack Obama after a Supreme Court challenge. The law makes it a federal misdemeanor for someone to falsely claim to have received one or more of the following prestigious awards for personal benefit: Congressional Medal of Honor. Distinguished Service Cross. Navy cross. Air Force cross. Silver star. Purple Heart. Combat Infantryman's Badge. Combat Action Badge. Combat Medical Badge. Combat Action Ribbon. Combat Action Medal. A conviction can be punishable by fines and up to a year in prison. The intent to financially benefit is crucial. Simply claiming to have served in the military or to have won a medal, even if untrue, is not a crime. At least 18 states have enacted legislation criminalizing various forms of military impersonation, according to a review by Mary E. Johnston in the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What is stolen valor? Arizona man's phony exploits inspire law to crack down on it
New York Court Rulings Against Gun Law May Signal Trouble For Similar New Jersey Bill 
© Provided by Washington Examiner Man holding hidden short gun in his hand. A gun restriction bill backed by top Democrats in New Jersey is already facing legal threats after the Supreme Court affirmed a constitutional right to carry and sparked challenges to New York's similar gun law. Assemblyman Joe Danielsen, the New Jersey bill’s main sponsor, is pushing the legislation to prohibit licensed gun owners from bringing firearms into nearly 25 "sensitive places" while imposing stiff barriers for people seeking gun licenses. The bill made it out of committee via a party-line vote this week and has the backing of Gov. Phil Murphy, who has vowed to sign it into law. If enacted, the legislation could be a tough road ahead in light of two federal court rulings in New York that held the Empire State's new gun law fails the test established in the summer high court ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. JUDGE BLOCKS NEW YORK FROM BANNING GUNS IN HOUSES OF WORSHIP IN VICTORY FOR SECOND AMENDMENT Just last week, a federal judge placed a temporary restraining order on a provision of a New York gun law that made it a felony for a person with a concealed carry gun license to bring a firearm into churches or other houses of worship. That ruling came just weeks after a separate lower court ruled that much of New York's Concealed Carry Improvement Act, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, failed the Bruen test. Since then, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals court has restored much of the act while a three-judge panel decides on a motion to stay the lower court decision. New Jersey's Bill A4769 features many similar components that have been subject to judicial scrutiny in light of the 6-3 high court opinion authored by Justice Clarence Thomas. While justices agreed that states can prohibit guns in sensitive places, it did not define these places aside from naming government buildings such as courthouses, polling places, and schools. Additionally, Thomas held that a place cannot be deemed sensitive just because it is crowded. The Garden State bill does not designate houses of worship as a sensitive place, but it does deem private property a sensitive place without the owner's consent, a point of contention among Republican state legislators against the bill. Republican Assemblyman Brian Bergen pushed back on Danielson's bill last week in an exchange in which he asked whether a gun owner who steps off the sidewalk and takes a shortcut through a gas station parking lot could be sentenced to prison. “You can carry everywhere that isn’t restricted in the bill,” Danielsen replied, according to NJ.Com. Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at South Texas College of Law, told the Washington Examiner he thinks "the states will resist Bruen as much as they can," citing both the Garden and Empire State's decisions to push new gun legislation that has been met or threatened with court challenges. "And even if they lose in courts in a couple years, they won't care because it will be worth it for the fight. They'll fight it, and then they'll lose in a couple years. They're willing to resist as much as they can," Blackman said. Another proposed requirement for the New Jersey measure asks that gun license applicants carry $300,000 in liability insurance. The nonpartisan state Office of Legislative Services issued an opinion saying this portion of the bill could be constitutionally questionable, and Republican state Rep. Robert Auth told the Washington Examiner it was a "fool's errand." "It's going to be found unconstitutional. It really disenfranchises the folks in the inner cities or low-income families because it's an extra burden. It's an onerous burden put upon them to make it more difficult to get access for a firearm for their personal protection in areas where the majority of gun violence is taking place," Auth said. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Scott Bach, president of the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, has already filed two lawsuits against New Jersey that aim to overturn the state's ban on large-capacity ammunition magazines and assault weapons. He told the New Jersey Monitor that a third suit will be filed if Murphy signs Danielson's bill into law. “The right to carry is here, and it’s here to stay, and everybody’s got to get used to that,” Bach told the outlet. “This angry fist-shaking by various states like New York and New Jersey is going to blow up in their faces. They can pretend that Bruen doesn’t say what it says, but it’s only going to come back to bite them.”   Washington Examiner Videos Tags: Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas, New York, News, Second Amendment Original Author: Kaelan Deese Original Location: New York court rulings against gun law may signal trouble for similar New Jersey bill
IFRAME SYNC
Gay Couples In Cuba Get Married Under New Law 
Serious, standing upright and dressed in long gala dresses – despite the midday Cuban heat – Lisset and Liusba quietly walk up the ten steps of the notary office, their hands clenched and shaking. Less than a few feet ahead walk their two young daughters. Nearly an hour later, when they walked out of the doors, the tension on their faces was replaced by smiles. From that moment, they were wives. It became a possibility just three weeks before on the island when Cuba's new Family Code — opening up everything from equal marriage to surrogate mothers — came into effect. The couple, who have been together for seven years, is one of the first to make the decision to get legally married in Cuba following the code. "It's a big day," said Liusba Grajales, a manager at the central University of Las Villas, just 250 kilometers from the capital. "Love is love, just the way it is. Without imposition, without prejudice … I don't know whether I should laugh or cry. It's a mix of so many strong emotions." Just a few meters away, Lisset Díaz, a 34-year-old dancer, shared her joy. "I feel proud," she added. "I'm amazed." The code was approved after heavy campaigning by the Cuban government, and support by the most vocal advocate for gay rights on the island, Mariela Castro, the daughter of former president Raul Castro. It made Cuba the ninth country in Latin America — following Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Colombia — to legalize gay marriage in recent years. Cuban elections — in which no party other than the Communist is allowed — routinely produce victory margins of more than 90%, as did a referendum on a major constitutional reform in 2019. Despite that, a third of the country, 33.15%, voted "no." The text faced a large campaign against it from evangelical groups that reject gay marriage. Meanwhile, 66.85% of the Cubans who came out, voted "yes." Nearly 6% left blank or voided ballots. The code also was rejected by some groups opposed to the government, which called for a "no" vote as a way of rejecting Cuban authorities amid rising discontent with the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez. It was also opposed by some members of the LGBTQ community, which said they were abstaining to vote on something they considered to be a human right in the first place. "Many people in the community were against voting 'yes' because they don't believe that they need some paper to tell them they have this on paper (to be recognized as a couple). I think we do need the right, that it protects us," said Liusba. Though she said she believes the island is still "a decade away" from becoming a "better and more inclusive" society. The old Family Code, dating back to 1975, established that marriage was between a man and a woman — not between two people — which excluded lifelong partners from things like inheriting the belongings of the other when one died. Together, they live with their two daughters, 11-year-old Laura and three-year-old Ainhoa. The latter was born by insemination at home because at the time they had no access to assisted fertility treatments because they didn't have male partners. The new law goes further than equal marriage — which activists tried to include in the Constitution in 2019 without success — or the ability for gay couples to adopt or use surrogates. The law regulates for the first time visitation rights of grandparents over grandchildren and communication with step parents in situations of divorces, and even custody of minors in latter when it's necessary for the child's welfare. It also allows for separate property regimens for married couples, authorizes parents to choose the order of their children's surnames, extends protections for the disabled and elderly, among other rights. The women considered the marriage a way to also protect their children if something were to ever happen to them. Ainhoa, also dressed in her best dress for the occasion, didn't quite understand her mother's marriage ceremony, but walked around introducing her Laura. "She is my sister," she repeated. "I'm happy for what the wedding means," Laura added to The Associated Press circumspectly, wiping tears away alongside her mothers. But it came from strong opposition from evangelical churches, which alleged the law was against the "traditional family" established by God, that they claim is the union of a man and a woman meant to procreate. In some rural areas, the code appeared to receive less support. While the country's capital of Havana received 70% approval, and Villa Clara — home of Liusba and Lisset — received 66%, in southeastern Holguin it got 53%. The pushback "indicates that we have to keep working in those areas and deepen and direct educational work," said Francisco "Paquito" Rodriguez, a blogger and one of the first Cuban activists for the rights of the LGBTQ community. Though he still called the new code a victory. Cuban authorities did not disclose how many gay couples were married in these three weeks, although Rodriguez thinks it could be at least dozen based on the information he's gotten from social media. "In 2007, we celebrated for the first time the International Day for the Fight Against Homophobia and Transphobia in Cuba. It took 15 years of fighting to make it law," Rodriguez said. "It seems like a long time in the life of an individual, but it's an achievement in the course of our history." Trending News Russia has notified the U.S. Its annual nuclear exercise has begun, U.S. Officials say "Clever" king cobra escapes enclosure, forces zoo to shut down "World's dirtiest man" dies in Iran at 94 Former U.S. Fighter pilot who worked in China arrested in Australia North Korea put on notice: Nuclear test would draw "unprecedented" response.