NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Lawmakers have introduced a bill in Tennessee to protect the honor of military veterans from impersonators.
The Tennessee Stolen Valor Act, House Bill 1779, makes impersonating a military veteran an offense and would be punished as a theft and graded as a misdemeanor or felony depending on the value of the money or property fraudulently obtained.
Representative Tilman Goins, the sponsor, told the story of a constituent in his district who completely fabricated his military service history in order to receive free services and eventually stole thousands of dollars from an AMVETS post in Morristown, Tennessee. (AMVETS is a national veterans services organization chartered by Congress that helps members find jobs, file VA claims, and obtain scholarships and transition post-deployment.)
The man told people in the community that former first lady Laura Bush had presented him with a bloody flag that belonged to one of the man’s fallen comrades in Afghanistan. He doctored his father’s military discharge papers to pass as his own. He became active in AMVETS, eventually managing to get on the organization’s board where he stole more than $10,000 from the group.
Other than the theft, theirs is no additional punishment for offenders who use false military service stories to scam the unsuspecting organizations and veterans groups.
Rep. Curtis Johnson said any fines collected from this act would go to Veterans Homes.
The bill passed the House Criminal Practices Subcommittee and will be heard by the full committee next week.