government) and the local department of motor vehicles (his state government). An airport security screener in Texas wore a Navy Cross, obtained American Legion license plates, and claimed to have been wounded in Vietnam.The judge’s falsehood was discovered when he applied for Medal of Honor license plates in his state. He led lawyers, press and public to believe that he had earned two awards of the nation’s highest decoration, something that hasn’t happened in real life since 1918. A district judge in Illinois displayed two Medals of Honor in a frame on the wall of his courtroom.In fact, with phony war heroes being exposed almost every day, Alvarez’s indiscretions seem mild compared to others. The ruling won’t affect other sections of the Act that pertain to wearing unearned decorations – something Alvarez did not do. The court is expected to rule in June on whether the portion of the Stolen Valor Act that pertains to speech is Constitutional. On February 27, the Supreme Court heard arguments for and against Alvarez, who insists that the free-speech provision of the First Amendment to the Constitution protects his right to lie. But the 9th Circuit Court in Northern California ruled the Stolen Valor Act infringed on Alvarez’s Constitutional freedom of speech. He was tried and convicted under the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, which makes it a crime to falsely represent oneself as having been awarded “any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the armed forces of the United States.”Īlvarez was sentenced to a $10,000 fine and a prison term for up to one year. But should lying about military service be considered a crime, to be punishable by a fine or even a jail sentence?Īlvarez’s detractors thought so. He had made similar claims in conversations with co-workers. In July 2007, speaking at a podium as an elected official at a water board meeting in Los Angeles, Alvarez said he was a Marine, had been wounded, and had been awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest decoration for valor. Xavier Alvarez now says he was lying and wishes he hadn’t done it, but he insists he never committed a crime.
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