Man sentenced for stolen valor, firearm convictions

A Farmington [New Mexico] man was sentenced to six months in a federal prison after he pleaded guilty to claiming to be a combat veteran who earned medals and ribbons, including a Purple Heart and being a felon in possession of firearms.

Anthony Gambino, 45, was sentenced Thursday in Albuquerque federal court and will have three years of supervised release after completing his prison term, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.

He was indicted on May 25, 2016, with charges of making false representations about receiving military medals and decorations along with being a felon in possession of firearms.

During a Feb. 7 hearing, Gambino told the court he was in possession of multiple rounds of ammunition and six firearms as a convicted felon.

He also told the court he fraudulently claimed to be a recipient of a Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon and a Purple Heart.

The San Juan County Sherriff’s Office and the Homeland Security Investigations unit of the United States Department of Homeland Security investigated the case.

Gambino was discharged from the Marine Corps after eight months of service after it was discovered he had fraudulently enlisted under his brother’s name, according to the Daily Times archives.

He was contracted in 2015 by the sheriff’s office to produce a training video for the department’s SWAT team.

State records showed Gambino was the director of a state private security firm in Aztec called the Gambino Security Safety Corp.

An investigation was launched after the sheriff’s office received information about Gambino’s convictions.

I’ve encountered several of fakes working in retail clerical jobs in a rural community on the Rockies. Every one of them is in tight with others in the town where the County offices are located. Collectively, they try hard to run every real prior serviceman out of the area.

One claimed to be infantry but with a 13B designator (infantry being 11B). I pointed the discrepancy out, but he argued with me about it. Asked him again another time, and he argued about it again. He didn’t act like one who had ever been in the infantry. I can tell a former combat platoon soldier or small arms Marine from others from observing their characteristics and from my experience.

Another claimed to have been a submariner. He’s just...a no-go for that. Total counter-culture ragbag and probably a crook.

The third one might possibly be telling the truth about having been in an artillery unit in Vietnam, but I was skeptical. But he also tells strangers that he smokes dope, is a “Wiccan,” etc. He’s about as wide as he is tall, if he’s still alive, and acts rather effeminate. Very contentious, neo-Nazi, talks about nothing but firearms, drugs and violence,... He reportedly took a pistol to his front door to meet police and was shot some years ago then sued the jurisdiction.

Someone I know has encountered a fake where she works in a different locale. We’ll call him Kyle. She said that he introduced himself as a former “Marine” “drill sergeant” (first discrepancy—exact words in quotes) and said that he had been a “drill sergeant” for three years.

Kyle claims to have PTSD, of course. He said that one of his buddies on a tour in Africa went to Afghanistan. He said that when his buddy came home to the U.S.A. from Afghanistan, he beat his grandmother to death. Kyle said that when he was having one of his PTSD episodes, he was crawling around on the floor with his knife in his hand. He said that his brother hit him in the head with a baseball bat to get him to stop crawling around on the floor with a knife in his hand.

I also have a second cousin who made some suspicious claims. Only seen him a very few times in my life. I think it’s highly likely that he was in the service but am very skeptical about the nature of his service as he told it. He’s a lefty, and he hates other prior servicemen, including me, for no other reason but our prior service.

It’s likely that he has been really mad about being drafted roughly around 1970. He broadcasts many negative things about the service in general. Claims to have been a helicopter mechanic who was “sent” to Ranger school then a 101st Airborne unit to be a door gunner.

Says that he “killed a lot of people,” was turned into an alcoholic, was cruel to his wife and so on. After finding out that I was a combat engineer (National Guard, combat type—not construction), he acted hostile and didn’t want to speak to me again. I’ve never encountered that attitude from any man who’s been a light combat soldier or small arms Marine whether with or without hazardous duty.

I recall that soldiers in Ranger school are all volunteers and need to meet some pre-qualifications. Correct, or is that only S.F.? I was also skeptical about the claim that any soldiers were ordered to be door gunners without wanting such a slot. Am I wrong? He also acted rather dramatic when telling his story. People at churches have been subjected to the story, by the way.

On the bright side... Over the years, I’ve had the exceptional, honorable pleasure of meeting soldiers and Marines who served at Chosin Reservoir during the 1950s, tankers and infantrymen who served in France in World War 2 and even one who went to Europe in World War 1. There were medics and motor pool soldiers—former medics and infantrymen in Vietnam—who served with my National Guard unit. Oh, and one first sergeant who had been a tunnel rat in Vietnam. ...and many more. They were all great and good natured men. I loved listening to them, may every one of them be blessed.

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