Category: Phony soldiers

Joyell “J.D.” Riley claimed to be a “highly decorated combat veteran” female Marine who was suffering from breast cancer. She set up a GoFundMe tincup and started collecting money. Well, neither of those were true according to the Mansfield News-Journal;

As part of the scheme to defraud, Joyell “J.D.” Riley, 41, of Mansfield, falsified a U.S. military form and represented to members and veterans of the U.S. military and others across the country through the internet that she was a combat veteran and served as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. according to the court document, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Eastern Division.

Riley is the founder of a local organization, Mission Possible, that regularly feeds homeless veterans on the south side of Mansfield Central Park.

The indictment said Riley caused financial contributions made to the Riley Cancer GoFundMe account to be transferred by wire, in interstate commerce from accounts outside Ohio.

According to Cleveland.com, contributions from 32 people came into her account from across the country and it all went straight into her personal account.

Riley, reached by phone on Thursday, acknowledged that she did not serve in the military.

No FOIA necessary.

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office tell us about their encounter with this Stephen Henry Lang fellow. he was arrested in February, but they just posted the story today;

The Pasco Sheriff’s Economic Crimes Unit has arrested Stephen Henry Lang, age 23, for uttering a forged instrument. He was arrested on 02/07/2016.

The defendant did misrepresent himself as a veteran of the U.S. Army and holder of a Purple Heart. He showed one employer his Purple Heart tag that he fraudulently obtained from the Florida DHSMV (This requires the presentation of a DD-214 Form). He did this to gain sympathy from his prospective employer,Tranquility Pools, and thereby get the job and material gain.

On 04/30/2016 the defendant did utter and publish, as true, a counterfeit DD-214 military discharge document to the owner of Bella Pools in order to better his chances at employment.

Post Miranda the defendant stated he fabricated the DD-214 document from a download he had taken off of Google. The defendant was arrested on both charges and transported to the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center.

Nice bust. Thanks, guys.

This fellow, Keith Roberts, was sent to us by the good folks at Green Beret Posers Exposed. he used to go by the Facebook handle, Bullgoose Roberts, but for some reason he scrubbed that profile and renamed himself Beano Jones. Of course, he claims to be Special Forces;

He also claims that he was in Afghanistan;

Yeah, no, the National Personnel Records Center disagrees;

Three years as an artilleryman and 5 years in the Reserves. Not even Airborne training.

Someone sent us their work on this fellow Gareth Garrison who claims that he was a Marine, and, of course, a sniper;

He hangs out at the local VA telling tales about how he’s a retired Master Sergeant of Force Recon, but as much time as he spends at the VA, he never sees a doctor. I know you’ve seen those guys. Well, his records confirm it, not so much;

47 days in the Air Force. We’ve seen folks with less service, but not many.

Once again, the folks at Military Phony send us their hard work on this fellow, Jose Timoteo Qualls. He claims 24 years of service and, as you can see from the picture above, he thinks highly of his service – two Purple Heart Medals, a Combat Action Ribbon, a “scuba bubble” and jump wings. Here is one of his profiles;

It was nice of the Force Recon folks to let him work in all of those other places (Social Security Administration, the VA, etc…) despite their Optempo during the global war against terror, wasn’t it?

He pays respect to a real fallen Marine with his BS story at an online memorial;

The Marine Corps has a different version of his career than the one he claims;

The Jose Qualls whose records the Marine Corps has did 13 months of service (as compared to the 24 years that he claims) and rocketed up to Lance Corporal, E-3 (he claims that he was a Master Sergeant, an E-8) in that time period. No medals, no special training other than as a field wireman. Not quite as sexy as Force Recon, I guess. No assignments to Recon units. Just that ,45 caliber bullet-shaped cranium and a Marksmanship Badge.

The folks at Military Phony send us their work on yet another fellow claiming to be a SEAL, Benjamin Robinson Ramos. You’ll notice the frogman tattoo in the picture above and this shadowbox;

And this conversation in social media;

But the Navy doesn’t remember that part of his career;

Four years on active duty, four years in the IRR (reserves), discharged as an E-3, no SEAL training, lots of sea duty. He also doesn’t appear in the BUD/S database. But that tattoo – who would get the tattoo without the training?

The folks at Military Phony send us their work on this William R. Mayor fellow. He claims that he was Naval Special Warfare and that he was working down South taking out the bad guy drug dealers and that he was injured in that endeavor so that he missed the global war against terror;

You know he’s legit, because what kind of creep would get a tattoo if he was a fake?

Well, he did spend seven grueling months in the Marine Corps Reserve September 1994 – April 1995;

Even after that lengthy and arduous career, he still had more to give to his country, so he served another five months in the Navy;

So after all of that, who could doubt that he is afflicted by PTSD, which also explains his long and storied criminal record;

A few months ago, this guy, Roger Bailey, made the mistake of introducing himself to Mary in Branson, MO, as a Vietnam Marine veteran, a former POW, sniper, scout who flew helicopters – I guess they kept him busy over there in Vietnam. He told her that he was held 4 yrs, 8 months by the North Vietnamese.

According to his Facebook profile, he’s also claiming to be a Major of Marines;

Well, we got his records and it doesn’t look like he was being completely honest about his military career;

He had five months of service in the Marine Corps that didn’t begin until after Saigon fell. But he does have the POW Ponytail;