They'd probably better keep him away from any ex military types.
Man gets 5 months for lying about war
By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter
A Tacoma man who falsely claimed he was a decorated war hero and even appeared in a video that protested the U.S. role in Iraq was sentenced Friday to five months in a federal prison for making false statements to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Jesse MacBeth, 23, was also sentenced to three months in a halfway house after his release and three years of probation.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik told MacBeth at his sentencing that he hoped "this turns out to be a turning point in your life."
MacBeth claimed to be an Army Ranger who killed more than 200 people, many at close range, including some as they prayed in a mosque. He spoke at an anti-war rally in Tacoma and appeared in a 20-minute anti-war video that circulated widely on the Internet.
In reality, MacBeth made it through only six weeks of Army basic training and never set foot in Iraq.
On Friday, MacBeth apologized to the government. "I was trying to pull a fast one, trying to get some money to get off the streets," he said.
Conservative bloggers exposed MacBeth in May 2006, embarrassing the company that produced the video about his deeds.
On June 7, MacBeth pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements to Veterans Affairs. MacBeth admitted that he filed a bogus claim for VA benefits in 2005, which included a fraudulent military-discharge form.
MacBeth said on the forms that he had been in the Army for more than three years. He also claimed he had been awarded a Purple Heart and that he was discharged because he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
MacBeth spent 44 days at Fort Benning, Ga., in 2003, but was released "for issues related to entry-level performance and conduct," according to court papers.
Pepperspray Productions in Seattle produced the video titled "Jesse MacBeth: An Iraq Veteran Speaks Out." In the film, MacBeth told nuanced tales of brutal killings he carried out at the behest of his commanding officers.
Doug Carver, special agent in charge at the Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General, said Friday that his office is investigating about 35 veterans-benefits-fraud cases across the country. The U.S. Attorney's Office has recently investigated eight local men, including MacBeth, for charges varying from unlawful wearing of military decorations to mail fraud in connection with a scheme to frequently obtain disability benefits from Veterans Affairs.
"They are phonies and liars," interim U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Sullivan said about the suspects. "This is a crime that can be hopefully deterred."
seattletimes.nwsource.com |
