Bill in Congress Would 'Flesh Out' Fake Veterans

Stolen Valor Act Will Out Fake Veterans
by Zach Church, The Eagle Tribune

LAWRENCE – Jim Stokes isn’t the only person in the country accused of faking his military record.

If Doug Sterner has his way, they’ll all be found out and prosecuted under the new federal Stolen Valor Act. And the true heroes – the men and women pinned with distinguishing military medals – will be recognized.

That comes under the Military Valor Roll of Honor Act, a piece of legislation Sterner and his Colorado congressmen are trying to move through Washington.

If passed and signed by the president, the legislation would create a public database listing the names and citations of all military personnel. The purpose, Sterner said, is to "flesh out the phonies." And people of real honor would have a database to prove it with.

"I’d rather have a dozen Stokes get away with this sort of stuff than one real hero slighted," said Sterner, a Vietnam veteran…

Stokes, 65, is scheduled to take a seat on the School Committee next week. He is facing questions about whether he served 20 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy, as he has claimed. City Veterans Affairs Director Francisco Urena has declared Stokes’ discharge record a forgery. Mayor Michael Sullivan has asked Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett’s office for a criminal investigation.

No one answered the door at Stokes’ Boxford Street home yesterday. He has failed to return repeated calls for comment and has said that a lawyer has advised him not to talk about his military record.

The U.S. Marines have no record of Stokes, said Staff Sgt. Christina Delai, a spokeswoman. And the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis also can’t find any mention of him.

If the Marines can’t find Stokes, he didn’t serve, Sterner said.

"Marines keep track of their records," he said. "I grit my teeth when I say that, being an old Army guy, (but) Marines keep track of their heroes."

Sterner said Stokes could be prosecuted under the Stolen Valor Act, signed into law last year, which allows six months jail time for a person who "falsely represents himself or herself, verbally or in writing" to have been awarded a military medal. Stokes’ discharge record recognizes him as the recipient of a Purple Heart, among other honors.

Most people faking a military history do so for medical or education benefits, Sterner said. Stokes has never applied for public assistance or any other type of service from the city veteran’s office, Urena wrote in a report. 

"We have eight guys we busted in Seattle, between the eight of them it cost the (Veterans Affairs department) $1.4 million dollars in fraud," Sterner said. "It was all based on phoney papers that they doctored up."

Lead sponsor for the Military Valor Roll of Honor Act is U.S. Congressman John Salazar, R-Colorado, with 41 cosponsors, none of whom are from New England.

At the state level, it is unclear if Stokes will face any criminal charge for declaring himself a veteran on the November ballot. Sullivan has asked Blodgett’s office for an investigation.

Assistant District Attorney Tom Donovan said prosecutors have researched the allegations against Stokes, but have not yet determined if he has committed a crime.

"We are awaiting the documents, but based upon our conversation and our research, merely presenting paperwork to the veterans agent for the city, we haven’t (determined) that a criminal offense," Donovan said.

A spokeswomen for the U.S. District Attorney in Boston would not say if Stokes is being investigated. Mayor Michael Sullivan said he is planning to "get the ball rolling" with federal authorities.

"I think it needs to be thoroughly investigated before I call him a veteran and before I can feel good about myself honoring the veterans," Sullivan said.

Stokes stood at a School Committee meeting earlier this month to say he intends to take his seat on the School Committee despite the questions about his record and revelations that he served two short jail stints decades ago for fraud and cheating a person of property. He can make good on that promise at 7 p.m. Wednesday when the committee and City Council are sworn in at Lawrence High School.

Sullivan said he is upset to know Stokes will take the oath and also upset that few other city politicians have shared the same feelings. Sullivan said he grabbed the reigns for the investigation on Stokes after a report by Urena sat untouched in the city attorney’s office for a week.

There has been plenty of chatter from veterans though, Urena said.

"There are various veterans that are extremely disappointed with the way that somebody has claimed to be a Vietnam veteran, especially a number of veterans who came back that were among us, who were not welcomed home," Urena said.

Some citizens have pointed out the good deeds and volunteer work Stokes has done in the community as well, Urena said.

Wednesday’s ceremony will feature Lt. Gov. Tim Murray as the keynote speaker. Murray is aware of the controversy surrounding Stokes, but still plans to attend.

"The lieutenant governor is disturbed by these allegations and anytime someone damages the honor of our veterans," spokeswoman Becky Deusser said. "He trusts that the proper legal authorities will handle the matter appropriately."

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