The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an initiative by Investigators at the National Archives and Records Administration Office of Inspector General in response to an increase in the number of suspected stolen valor cases.
Investigators there have announced that they are taking steps to make their research resources more accessible to both federal, state and local law enforcement personnel in order to combat the uptick.
"We are really in the initial stages of identifying where the fraud is,” said Assistant Inspector General for Investigations at NARA Jason Metrick. “We want the public and other state and federal law enforcement entities to know that we are here and we can help with these cases.”
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NARA OIG’s office has statutory law enforcement powers and is staffed with trained criminal investigators who have the ability to serve search warrants as well as arrest powers.
The initiative is not focused on going after those falsely bragging they were extraordinarily brave in battle and received awards for heroism. Instead, it focuses on stolen valor claims resulting in financial fraud.
Metrick’s office has set up a Facebook page that contains a stolen valor fact sheet with information on its efforts to expose false stolen valor claims that result in financial gain.
"Money or some type of tangible benefit is the key element in bringing federal charges against an individual falsely claiming valor awards," the fact sheet reads.
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Under the Stolen Valor Act of 2013, those making false claims about military service and awards with the intent of seeking financial gain, employment or other benefits available to veterans can receive up to a year in jail.
“One of the areas that we are looking into with the initiative is ID theft resulting in loans and credit cards taken out in veterans’ names,” explained Metrick.
“Part of the initiative is raising awareness about the Facebook page and our office,” added Waleska McLellan, Special Agent in Charge in the Office of Investigations within the Office of the Inspector General at NARA.
Metrick and McLellan explained that NARA has jurisdiction over military records found at the National Personnel Record Center in St. Louis, Mo., where they are housed.
“We are here to protect those records,” said McLellan.
NARA OIG has several ways to report suspected cases of stolen valor including their email, OIG.Hotline@nara.gov, and their hotline at 301-837-3500.