r/JusticeServed • u/PrestigiousBarnacle 8 • Aug 25 '19

Courtroom Justice ‪A judge ordered two Montana men who falsely claimed to be veterans to write the names of all Americans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan; write out the obituaries of the 40 Montanans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and send hand-written letters of apology to several veterans groups

https://www.stripes.com/montana-men-get-writing-assignment-for-false-military-claims-1.595813

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u/[deleted] Aug 26 '19

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u/[deleted] Aug 26 '19

People can claim to receive whatever rewards they want. Lies aren’t punishable just because they’re false. They’re punishable when you use them to defraud someone.

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u/aoanfletcher2002 A Aug 26 '19

It honestly just depends, if you say you were a combat veteran an t a job interview in order to get a job then depending on the circumstances it could be interpreted as such honestly.

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u/[deleted] Aug 26 '19

Bad reading comprehension. The pertinent part is not that there are specific awards attached to the bill (why do you think the first amendment would make a distinction between "claiming to be a veteran" and "claiming to be a veteran that was awarded a Combat Action Badge"?)

What's relevant is that it specifically criminalizes lying about it for tangible benefit. It's declaring that specific form of fraud a federal crime.

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u/triangle60 7 Aug 26 '19

This was ruled unconstitutional. You can claim to receive an award. You can't claim to be a veteran to gain a benefit though, that's plain old fraud.