Posted on 02/06/2017 4:48:30 PM PST by PROCON
A woman who was exposed for posing as a U.S. Army Lieutenant by Guardian of Valor in 2015 was just sentenced to prison by a Nevada judge last week. Kelsie Hoover, a transgender woman who began to undergo gender reassignment surgery a few years ago, was caught posing as a male U.S. soldier at Baltimore Washington Airport named “Michael Cipriani.” Following Guardian of Valor’s video being posted, Hoover was arrested in Oregon and extradited back to Nevada to face charges. Hoover went through trial and was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
American Military News spoke to Anthony Anderson, the CEO of Guardian of Valor. Anderson said the District Attorney’s office that dealt with Hoover’s case congratulated them on their work, saying it was their extraordinary investigating that was able to get Hoover sentenced.
“I’m glad that people are starting to take Guardian of Valor seriously,” Anderson told American Military News. “This is big for us.”
“Look at what this girl did,” he continued. “She got 20 years, this is not something you play with.”
A veteran spotted “Cipriani” at the airport and began filming as he called out the fake Lieutenant. The vet sent the video to Guardian of Valor and they conducted a thorough investigation. At first, Kelsie Hoover admitted to using her brother’s ID to pretend to be a male soldier, however further investigation by Guardian of Valor revealed Cipriani was Hoover’s manufactured identity and not a real person at all.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanmilitarynews.com ...
20 hard time in the stockade/brig -
Sound about right?
Me too!
I think perhaps they don't "get" what those of us who DID serve feel about wannabes who think wearing the uniform without serving is "cool".
It's BS; I think a proper punishment for these costumed impostors would be spending 10 minutes in a room with Veterans who object to their assholeness, just sayin'
20 years imprisonment over an act of fraud is still ridiculously OTT, unless the fraudster actually stole money that was intended to pay for someone’s cancer treatment and then they died because they couldn’t pay for it or something.
A 20 year prison sentence should be for crimes that are way, way more serious than this.
Wrong side of the coin. It’s a chick trying to become a dude.
The number of serious crimes has a lot to do with the sentence, and the person had a prior record as well.
Forging a military ID card is and should be a very serious crime, really think about that one for a while and you should be able to understand why.
I’d call it a good start.
EOD? Giod grief.
That’s not a woman or a girl. That is a man.
Really? Which ribbon is that? Did you recognize or Google it? That moron didn't even try to look legit. He just tacked on any ribbon/badge he could find.
The give away for me is the Combat Infantry Badge. Unless things have changed since my service, I've never heard of Air Force awarding those. I realize the the AF has their highly trained search/rescue units and their ground spotters that are no slouches either, but a CIB? I thought CIB's only went to Army and Marine combat infantry grunts.
The biggest red flag is the Silver Star. The putz didn't think anyone would ever ask how he earned the third highest medal in the military? I'm surprised he didn't include a Navy Cross or the MOH. So glad when he got busted. I literally laugh my ass off.
You're not really getting the concept. It's not about impersonating a specific person, it's about impersonating ANY active military or Veteran who has earned the right to wear their rank designation, unit insignias, badges, and medals. It is very much "stolen" for whatever reasons.
So I guess if you dress up like GI JOE for halloween you could face 20 years behind bars."
Apples and Oranges.
This will be thrown out by a higher court as it should be."
Just by writing the above you dishonor millions who have kept you and yours safe by their gallantry, dedication, and valor. This is not the small deal you think it is. You may be on the wrong forum.
There was a "Marine Corps Officer" whose picture I was looking for unsuccessfully. The cynical eye might have noticed that his "uniform trousers" were Dockers. Geesh...
"There was a "Marine Corps Officer" whose picture I was looking for unsuccessfully. The cynical eye might have noticed that his "uniform trousers" were Dockers. Geesh..."
Dockers? Killing me! However, don't get why the poster above thinks this is no big thing, although the penalty is excessive.
I may be a 11 year nobody Aviation Sailor, but Stolen Valor is a big deal to me. I worked with and transported our Marines and SEALs and grew to love them even when a pain in the ass on the ship (LPH-11). I know what they go through to earn their medals and badges. Hell, the lowliest admin types of all branches sacrifice much more than any civilian would understand. They just don't get it unless they serve.
To repeat: You're not really getting the concept. It's not about impersonating a specific person, it's about impersonating ANY active military or Veteran who has earned the right to wear their rank designation, unit insignias, badges, and medals. It is very much "stolen" for whatever reasons."
Sorry to be a "jackass", but I earned my Valor over many years and those who benefit from my efforts are stealing from my and others' sacrifice. BTW, when did you serve?
That means it is a biological man.
Right?
They got it wrong. The gender after the word "transgender" is the one the individual is pretending to be.
She was born a woman, so she'd be a transgender man. Confusing? Yes, it is.
Actually, valor doesn't include integrity. Integrity is defined as self-honesty and doing the right thing when no one is looking (didn't Google). You don't have to be brave to have integrity. You can be a less than firm in the face of danger and still be self-honest about it, which is integrity by definition.
Ok, I'm a "jackass", but I still have integrity. Don't know if I still have Valor, but many still do and should not be emulated to benefit others' personal benefit. That is as much stolen as pretending to be a COP while wearing a badge. Would you prefer misappropriated?
OK so what gender was this person at birth ???
E-8 Senior Master Sergeant
“Please tell me how does one “steal” valor of a fictitious person?”
You don’t steal the valor of a person.
You steal valor by pretending to valor that you never demonstrated.
Perhaps an award like a silver star doesn’t mean anything to you, but there are those who believe that pretending to have awards that one never earned is scurrilous, contemptible, dishonorable in the extreme.
No way it is protected by the constitution.
“The give away for me is the Combat Infantry Badge”
Only the army issues the CIB, but I hear they have awarded it to men they judged had earned it regardless of branch.
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