As in, the guy who claimed to have went to Iraq and that his unit regularly committed sundry war crimes (and that he himself personally killed 200 Iraqi civilians), none of which can be substantiated, is now finally being charged with altering his service record and collecting benefits he wasn't entitled to. I have to ask, How is it that they're only now getting around to charging this guy with anything? I mean, it's been over a year since he posted his doctored DD214 on the Internet, and he's been exposed as a fraud since before that, so how was he able to collect $10,000 worth of benefits?AP wrote:Man who claimed war crimes in Iraq charged with falsifying record
Associated Press - May 19, 2007 2:23 AM ET
SEATTLE (AP) - Federal authorities in Washington state say a man who claimed to have participated in war crimes in Iraq while serving in the Army isn't even a veteran. And he's now facing federal charges.
Authorities say 23-year-old Jesse Macbeth tried to use his claim to position himself as a leader of the anti-war movement but he actually falsified his military record.
Macbeth gained attention in blogs, some alternative media and anti-war circles after making his claims. But records show he washed out of basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 2003, and never actually went to Iraq.
Federal authorities also say Macbeth faked claims of a war wound and post-traumatic stress disorder to collect more than $$10,000 in veterans benefits to which he was not entitled.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Seriously, the the errors on that DD214 were easy to spot, yet obviously someone at VA fell for it.
