epic fail...
Posted on 05/09/2009 8:28:31 PM PDT by SmithL
A Cal Expo police officer was arrested by the FBI Friday on charges of falsely claiming he earned a Silver Star for gallantry in combat 18 years ago during Operation Desert Storm and then lying to FBI agents when confronted eight weeks ago.
Eric Gene Piotrowski, who is charged under the so-called Stolen Valor Act, made an initial appearance Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dale A. Drozd, who ordered him released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.
Piotrowski, 41, bought the medal and certificate via the Internet in 2007, and created a citation on a personal computer, according to a sworn FBI affidavit in support of a criminal complaint.
The Marine veteran told family and friends he received the medal and certificate in the mail after requesting a copy of his military records, FBI Special Agent Mark Burgeson wrote in the affidavit.
Without his knowledge, Piotrowski's family arranged for California Department of Veterans Affairs Undersecretary Roger Brautigan to come to his Elk Grove home on an evening in 2007 and formally present the medal to him, according to the affidavit and JP Tremblay, deputy secretary of the department.
News of the presentation later appeared on the cover of the department's newsletter, and skeptical veterans urged the FBI to investigate.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
so-called? That makes the act sound suspect.
Whats a “Cal Expo police officer”?
A so-called reporter wrote it.
he probably would have gotten away with it if his family hadn’t been so proud of him.
Cal Expo is the California state fairgrounds. There’s also a racetrack and a bunch of other facilities that keep it in use pretty much year round. Seems kind of strange to have their own police force, but who knows.
Darned family members...
If only he'd had the savvy to have faked his injuries and valor when he was still in active service, like John Kerry did.
Cal Expo is the home of the the California State Fair. For some reason, they have their own police department.
epic fail...
We have a lot of police departments in Cal. School districts, fair grounds, universities. More management and administrative jobs.
I’m glad to hear that fake heroes can finally be charged with an actual crime.
“The Stolen Valor Act”? Did the author of the definitive book on the subject, 1999’s “Stolen Valor”, Vietnam veteran and Texas real estate magnate, B.J. “Jug” Burkett (who started investigating the issue on his own when he became suspicious at all the ragtag “veterans” who came out of the woodwork when he was working on the Texas Vietnam Memorial in the eighties) play a role in the act’s passage?
I have no idea what the penalty is, if convicted, for these charges, but this guy’s life is over as he knows it. He lied to his wife, his family, and probably his fellow officers. No one will ever trust anything he says again.
Makes you wonder why when budget cuts are needed, the Governator says we can only cut teachers and Firefighters. I’m sure the Cal Expo PD is much more important than teachers or firefighters...geesh!!!
He should run for political office, I hear there may be a congressional seat opening up in Pennsylvania.
You said — I have no idea what the penalty is, if convicted, for these charges, but this guy’s life is over as he knows it. He lied to his wife, his family, and probably his fellow officers. No one will ever trust anything he says again.
—
Well..., I have some relatives like that already.... LOL...
I remember a cousin getting off the plane from Viet Nam and coming back home, temporarily for a funeral (his father). He was so “nuts and crazy” that if anyone believed what he said, then they would have to be as crazy as he was. He was that way for the rest of his life and I would never believe anything he said... :-)
You said — he probably would have gotten away with it if his family hadn’t been so proud of him.
—
Well, I guess his family is now sorry that they did that... LOL... I would imagine that it has affected them negatively, too.
I hear too many “stories” from people who said “this happened” or “that happened” or “I did this or that” to believe it all. I don’t care who they are and how they’re related to me. I’m not going to believe it, as people tend to have their “fish stories” getting bigger and bigger as time goes along... :-)
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