He'd been a SEAL, a sniper and a pilot. His stories were larger than life, and no one at the Soldiers & Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial in Oakland believed him. But it was the Navy Cross pinned to his dress blues that proved too much to stomach.
"He had more battle activity than eight guys together," Ron Gancas, museum president, said about John Eastman, who faces federal charges of impersonating a military officer. "Why he picked this place to B.S. I don't know. Everybody was in the military here."
Eastman, 58, of New Galilee, Beaver County, is accused of falsely wearing a major's insignia at a Veteran's Day function in 2004. He was indicted this year and, if convicted, would face a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
A bill -- the Stolen Valor Act -- making its way through Congress would increase the penalties for imposters and help prosecutors go after phonies.
Falsely claiming to be in the military or to have earned a medal is a misdemeanor under current law. Imposters can be charged only if they've worn medals or insignia they didn't earn. The penalty is a jail term of up to six months, a fine or both.
The new legislation would make the crime a felony and enable prosecutors to charge imposters for simply claiming -- verbally or in writing -- a rank or medals they didn't earn.
Under the Stolen Valor Act, falsely claiming to have received the Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star or Purple Heart would double the maximum penalty to up to a year in prison, bringing those medals in line with the Medal of Honor.
Should the Stolen Valor Act become law, investigators would be able to go after many more, said Doug Sterner of Pueblo, Colo. Sterner operates homeofheroes.com, a Web site dedicated to honoring veterans. His work has made him a de facto hunter of phonies.
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