Trial delayed for man claiming to be war hero
By Aisling Swift
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Dozens of veterans packed a Collier County courtroom
Wednesday for a probation violation hearing for a former East
Naples man who claimed to be a war hero and POW.
But at the request of 72-year-old Raymond Gauthier's
attorney, Collier Circuit Judge Fred Hardt continued the
hearing until Oct. 16 so defense attorney Kepler B. Funk of
Melbourne could have more time to review evidence he just
received.
Assistant State Attorney Jerry Brock didn't object to the
continuance because a witness needed for the hearing, a
probation officer who searched Gauthier's home in Cocoa Beach,
won't be available for a month due to surgery.
Gauthier is charged with a probation violation for
possessing a DD-214, a military form used to apply for a POW
license plate and discount as a war veteran. When he was
sentenced to five years of probation in April, Hardt
prohibited him from possessing any military memorabilia,
awards, medals and other items as part of his five-year
probationary sentence.
Gauthier didn’t appear in court and Funk, who was
accompanied by partner Keith Szachacz, declined comment
afterward about what Gauthier intended to do with the
document, whether it was a new form, or what his defense would
be.
Gauthier has been free since posting a $5,000 bond six days
after his Aug. 2 arrest in Brevard County.
Jay Jones, past state commander of the Military Order of
the Purple Heart, said he predicted it wouldn't be over when
Gauthier was sentenced.
“I said when he gets out of this mess, he's going to do
it again _ and he didn't let me down,’’ Jones said as he
walked out of the courthouse with dozens of veterans wearing
uniforms and medals.
In April, Hardt sentenced Gauthier to five years of
probation and ordered him to turn in all fake military awards,
ribbons, medals, certificates, and uniforms.
During probation, Gauthier also can't wear any military
medals, awards or uniforms, and must submit to searches of his
home by state Department of Corrections personnel, who will
make sure he's adhering to conditions of his sentence.
Hardt, a veteran who came up with the unusual sentence,
also ordered Gauthier to work 10 days in the county jail on
each Memorial Day and Veterans Day through 2011 -- and to
publish an apology in the Naples Daily News. He also was
ordered to pay $88, the discount he received when he obtained
a POW license plate by submitting the bogus DD-214 form.
Gauthier had pleaded guilty to being a gross common cheat
for submitting the form. He did serve in the military, but was
never a POW, received the same award as other officers at the
time, and was discharged under less than honorable
circumstances.
Records show he has several misdemeanor convictions and one
felony dating back to the 1960s in Ohio, Washington and
Alaska. He has misdemeanor convictions for assault, petty
theft, disorderly conduct, and DUI, a 1962 third-degree felony
conviction for grand theft in Washington, and an aggravated
assault with a weapon in 1973 in Alaska.
On the violation, he faces a maximum of the five years he
avoided on the third-degree felony under the plea bargain. But
his sentencing scoresheet adds up to 20, and for anything
under 44 points, the lowest permissible sentence isn’t a
state prison sentence.
Since sentencing, Gauthier moved to 280 Hayes Ave. in Cocoa
Beach, where a Brevard County probation officer searched on
May 23 and found a different DD-214 form in a box in his
bedroom. The box also contained a handicapped parking permit
that belongs to a relative. He told officers it belonged to
his girlfriend, but officers found that he'd lied after
tracing it to a relative.
The DD-214 form was different from the one that prompted
the initial charge and showed the date he entered the military
as Jan. 31, 1974, not 1956 as he'd written earlier. It also
showed the date he was inducted as Dec. 23, 1952, compared
with the original form he submitted, which said: Dec. 23,
1953.
Unlike his first form, which was riddled with spelling
errors, this one contains few spelling errors, including an
exclamation point instead of an apostrophe. But it shows he'd
taken the time to correctly spell most of the roughly 20
medals he never received, including the Purple Heart. It also
appears in both cases that he forged signatures of military
officers verifying his background.
Gauthier was initially exposed last year when he went to
Homer Helter's military shop in Naples and asked to have his
medals mounted. When Helter examined Gauthier's DD-214, he
spotted spelling errors, leading to an investigation.
For years, Gauthier was a common sight around Naples,
driving around in a car with POW plates. He showed up for
military events wearing a Green Beret Special Forces uniform
decorated with medals he never received and had never been a
Green Beret.
On Wednesday, veterans vowed to continue packing the
courtroom to show their anger over Gauthier's actions.
Robert Ullrich, commander of Naples' VFW post, called
Gauthier's actions habitual, noting that he's been pretending
to be a decorated hero for decades.
“He just continues to reinvent himself,’’ Ullrich
said.
When Gauthier moved here from Alaska, he asked to transfer
to the VFW hall here and Ullrich asked for documents showing
his years of service, honors and rank.
But Gauthier refused. He was later permanently banned from
the post.
Frank Ward, the post's vice commander, said he believes
Gauthier intended to apply for a POW plate.
© 2007 Naples Daily News and NDN Productions. Published in
Naples, Florida, USA by the E.W. Scripps Co.
|
http://www.bonitanews.com/news/2007/aug/14/man_faces_new_charges_forging_military_documents_e/?latest
Man faces new charges of forging military documents on east
coast
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
A former East Naples man sentenced to probation this spring
for pretending to be a highly decorated military veteran was
caught with another forged military document, authorities say.
Raymond John Gauthier, 72, who now lives at 280 Hayes Ave. in
Cocoa Beach, was arrested in Brevard County on Aug. 2 after a
probation officer searching his home found a falsified DD-214
form listing fake military honors that wasn’t the same DD-214
military records form that started his troubles in Collier
County.
Collier Circuit Judge Fred Hardt will hold a violation of
probation hearing on Sept. 5 to determine whether he should
serve the one year in jail he avoided as part of his plea
bargain in April.
Gauthier, who portrayed himself as a highly decorated former
prisoner of war, was sentenced by Hardt — a military veteran
— in April after pleading guilty to common cheating and gross
fraud. Hardt came up with a five-year probationary sentence for
Gauthier, ordering him to turn in any fake military awards,
ribbons, medals, certificates and uniforms, and warning him
he’d be subjected to random searches of his home by probation
officers.
Hardt also ordered Gauthier to work 10 days in the county
jail — on each Memorial Day and Veterans Day through 2011 —
and to publish an apology in the Naples Daily News. He also had
to pay $88, the discount he received when he obtained a POW
license plate by submitting the bogus form.
Gauthier has been free since posting a $5,000 bond six days
after his Aug. 2 arrest.
He was exposed last year when he went to Homer Helter’s
military shop in Naples and asked to have his medals mounted.
When Helter examined Gauthier’s DD-214, an official military
records form, he spotted spelling errors, leading to an
investigation of Gauthier, who had served time in the military
but was discharged under less than honorable circumstances.
In contrast, his DD-214 listed about 26 medals and awards,
including the highest — the Purple Heart, Silver Star and
Distinguished Service Cross.
|
Phony war hero
arrested again
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Tuesday, April 10, 2007
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"Phony
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Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Phony
war hero pleads not guilty to forgery
Monday, January 22, 2007
Alleged
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Wednesday, December 27, 2006
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Thursday, October 05, 2006
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Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Collier
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Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Local News
Last updated on: 8/3/2007
8:12:37 PM by Kara Kenney
BREVARD COUNTY: A phony war
hero who left Southwest Florida after being exposed by NBC2 is
now in trouble with the law in his new hometown. The latest
arrest came just three months after a remorseful Raymond
Gauthier pleaded guilty to fraud charges in Collier County.
This time, authorities in Brevard County accused him of
violating his probation. They say he still had his phony
military paperwork hidden away.
Raymond Gauthier, 71, was arrested Thursday morning at his new
home in Cocoa Beach.
Gauthier earned national attention from veterans when NBC2
exposed him for wearing dozens of military medals he didn't
earn.
He was arrested for forging military documents to get a
Prisoner of War license plate and a judge laid out a slew of
conditions for his five-year probation - a probation he has
allegedly already violated.
In April, Gauthier pleaded guilty to fraud charges and
apologized for posing as a phony war hero. But the judge
decided that wasn't good enough.
He ordered Gauthier to five-years of probation and to give up
his phony medals, his military uniform and his forged military
paperwork. But investigators say he failed to give up those
documents.
Gauthier was also ordered to work the next five Veterans Days
and Memorial Days at the Collier County Jail.
NBC2 caught up with him this Memorial Day.
“I'm not angry to be here. I was sentenced, I'm here, and
I'll do what I have to do. But just get off my case, alright?
Let me get on with my life,” said Gauthier.
Now that Gauthier has been arrested again, veterans are
furious. They say it is proof Gauthier belongs in jail - not
in a new town where he can pose as a war hero once again.
Gauthier is still being held in the Brevard County Jail on
$5,000 bond. Officials say he may soon be transferred to
Collier County to face a judge.
© 2007 by NBC2
NEWS. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
|
naplesnews.com
Phony war hero to spend veteran holidays working in jail
By Aisling Swift
Originally published — 10:59 a.m., April
10, 2007
Updated — 10:51 p.m., April 10, 2007
Collier Circuit Judge Fred Hardt, a former U.S. Navy
lieutenant commander, served three years in the Judge Advocate
General as a trial counsel.
So when he heard the plea bargain negotiated for Raymond John
Gauthier, an East Naples man who pretended to be a highly
decorated military veteran and prisoner of war, the judge halted
Assistant State Attorney Jerry Brock as he outlined the terms.
The plea bargain required Gauthier, 72, of 2250 Spruce St.,
to publish an apology in the Naples Daily News and to pay $88.
But there was no probation or community service.
“I don’t think these conditions mean anything,” Hardt
said to Brock and defense attorney Timothy Moffitt as 14
veterans, some former POWS and missing in action veterans in
uniform, sat in court in a show of opposition to the deal.
“Can the court give us some indication of what you’re
looking for?” Brock asked.
Hardt smiled and handed Brock and Moffitt a two-page document
outlining his terms.
Gauthier must serve five years of probation and turn in any
fake military awards, ribbons, medals, certificates, and
uniforms. During probation, he can’t wear any military medals,
awards or uniforms, and must submit to searches of his home by
state Department of Corrections personnel, who will make sure
he’s adhering to the conditions.
And during probation, Gauthier must work 10 days in the
county jail — on each Memorial Day and Veterans Day through
2011.
Brock looked at it, smiled and walked over to the
investigator, Matt Willard, a deputy with the Collier County
Sheriff’s Office Economic Crimes Division, who raised his
eyebrows as he read the conditions.
Then Brock showed Jay Jones, district commander for the
Military Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter 696, who sat with 14
military veterans, some in uniform and wearing POW-MIA emblems.
Jones read through the terms. “I’m in love with this
guy,” Jones exclaimed, referring to Hardt.
“He’s going to be pissed off when he sees that. It breaks
my heart,” Jones said of Gauthier, who was in a conference
room discussing the terms with Moffitt.
Gauthier was first exposed last year when he went to Homer
Helter’s military shop at 5510 Shirley St. in Naples and asked
to have his medals mounted. When Helter examined Gauthier’s
DD-214, an official military records form, he spotted spelling
errors and alerted Jones, who looked into it and reported
Gauthier.
Veterans provided the prosecutor with photos showing Gauthier
had been wearing a Special Services uniform and Green Beret for
several decades here.
After about 15 minutes, the hearing began again and Brock
detailed what Gauthier had done to prompt him with being charged
on Dec. 27 with common cheating and gross fraud, an offense
punishable by up to five years in state prison.
Gauthier pleaded guilty, telling Hardt: “I went to the
Department of Motor Vehicles and applied for a POW plate.” He
admitted filling out a DD-214. “It was fraudulent,” he said,
taking in deep breaths as his attorney patted him on the back.
It was that form, which claimed he was a prisoner of war and
listed about 26 medals and awards, including the highest — the
Purple Cross, Silver Star and Distinguished Service Cross —
that was submitted with his license plate application and led to
charges. For the bogus application, he received an $88 discount
on his POW plates over a few years.
Gauthier had served in the military and earned a sharpshooter
award and the National Defense Service Medal, something all
military were given at the time. But he hadn’t served the two
decades he’d claimed and was discharged under “less than
honorable conditions,” official records show.
Hardt looked closely at the DD-214, listing the bogus honors,
one by one as the veterans quietly laughed. “Any of that true,
Mr. Gauthier?” Hardt asked.
“Yes, some of it,” Gauthier replied. “A percentage of
it.”
“What percentage?”
Gauthier listed a Korean Service Medal, a Good Conduct Medal,
and Airborne Wings, as veterans mumbled that he was lying again.
“What about the rest of them? How’d they get on this?”
Hardt asked, holding up the crudely typewritten form.
“I put ‘em on,” Gauthier said.
“Why?
“I don’t know, your honor.”
“You don’t know?” Hardt asked incredulously. “Perhaps
you need some time to find out why.”
Then he told Jones he could read his victim impact statement.
Jones said it all amounted to stealing the honor of all veterans
who served their country.
“He’s paraded around in numerous medals he bought,”
Jones said. “As a retired U.S. Marine, I truly take this as an
insult ... to men and women laying their lives on the line every
day.”
“I really doubt that Mr. Gauthier thinks this is a big
deal,” Jones added, noting that he’d even been seen since
his arrest wearing a bogus military cap. Jones pointed out that
a judge in California forced a bogus veteran to parade around
with a sign saying he was a fraud and suggested Gauthier do that
for one month on Fifth Avenue South.
The judge smiled and adjudicated Gauthier guilty, imposing
five years’ probation, with all his conditions.
“The Department of Corrections shall have the ability to
search your home to ensure compliance,” Hardt warned.
Gauthier also had to pay the county tax assessor the $88
discount, in addition to $854 for court, investigation and
prosecution costs. Gauthier was then fingerprinted by a deputy
and walked out.
When asked if he did it, as some say, because he was lonely
and wanted attention, he pooh-poohed that, declining any
comment. His attorney also declined comment, while Brock praised
the judge’s terms.
“He had some special conditions he felt were
appropriate,” Brock said, adding he was initially concerned
the state statute wasn’t broad enough to cover that, but the
judge was confident.
Jones and the other veterans were happy and plan to pursue
charges under the federal Stolen Valor Act of 2005, which
President George W. Bush signed into law Dec. 20. It broadens an
earlier federal statute and targets unauthorized wearing,
manufacture or selling of military decorations and medals.
Convicts face a prison term, a fine, or both.
Jones said he was proud of Hardt for not accepting the plea
bargain.
Frank Ward, a POW-MIA, called Gauthier’s actions a disgrace
to all vets.
“I was just glad the judge gave him a little more than a
slap on the wrist,” Ward said.
Mike Viechec, an 84-year-old World War II veteran, spotted
the fraud from the beginning.
“He was rambling on and on,” Viechec said, adding that
when he confronted Gauthier on dates of service, Gauthier
claimed his “memory was shot” due to war conditions.
Viechec said he was glad for all veterans, alive and dead and
added: “If they could only speak out from their graves, they
would be happy.”
© 2007 Naples Daily News and NDN Productions. Published in
Naples, Florida, USA by the E.W. Scripps Co. |
Collier man who claimed to be a decorated POW set to
admit in court he’s a fraud
By Aisling
Swift
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
For several decades, Raymond John Gauthier of East Naples donned
a Green Beret Special Forces uniform decorated with dozens of
medals, put on the distinctive beret and attended military
functions.
Over the past few years, Gauthier drove to ceremonies in Collier
County in his car, which featured a license plate proclaiming
his status as a POW, a prisoner of war.
But Gauthier, who did serve in the Army and Air Force, was a
phony and it was that license plate that did him in. He filed
a phony application and submitted bogus military documentation
that prompted a discount over two or three years.
On Tuesday, the 72-year-old Gauthier, 2250 Spruce St., is set to
plead guilty before Collier Circuit Judge Fred Hardt to a charge
of common cheating and gross fraud, an offense that’s
punishable by up to a year in jail.
“If he wants to plead to the charge, he’s going to set the
record straight about offending people’s sensibilities and pay
the government back,” said Assistant State Attorney Jerry
Brock, who negotiated a plea agreement with defense attorney
Timothy Moffitt. “So now everyone will know he’s a fraud.”
As part of the plea deal, Gauthier must detail to the judge what
he did, the benefit he received, and pay back about $103, the
amount discounted off the license plates over about three years.
Gauthier also must write a public letter of apology to members
of the American Armed Forces, veterans and their families,
owning up to his fraud, and have it published in newspapers. In
exchange, he won’t go to jail or serve probation.
“I, Raymond Gauthier, sincerely apologize for wearing a
military uniform at ceremonies laden with awards, decorations,
insignia and rank, which I was not entitled to, nor deserve,”
Gauthier wrote in an apology sent to the Naples Daily News on
Wednesday. “... The honor of all veterans was degraded by my
false claims and I am profoundly sorry for this. This caused
disservice to my country and all veterans.”
In his apology, he admits his highest rank was as a private
while serving an overseas tour in Korea. In contrast to the
stories he told others about seeing the “horrors of war,” he
admits to never being in combat or being a prisoner of war.
The veterans who turned him in are hoping he faces more
charges under the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, which President
George W. Bush signed into law on Dec. 20. The law broadens
provisions of a statute targeting unauthorized wearing,
manufacture or selling of military decorations and medals.
It’s an offense punishable by a prison term, a fine, or both.
“If it were up to me, this guy would serve time,” said Jay
R. Jones, district commander for the Military Order of the
Purple Heart, Chapter 696, which covers 13 Veterans of Foreign
War halls, including Collier and Lee counties. “This guy is a
real scumbag. He’s been doing this for years.”
“The letter doesn’t mean crap,” he added, noting that even
after his arrest, Gauthier was walking around in his uniform.
“He’s going to go right back and do it again.”
Jones said he plans on rounding up as many veterans as he can to
pack the courtroom Tuesday, and hopes to speak his mind to the
judge.
Gauthier was first exposed when he went to Homer Helter’s
military shop at 5510 Shirley St. and asked to have his medals
mounted. When Helter examined Gauthier’s DD-214, an official
military records form, he spotted spelling errors and alerted
Jones, who looked into it and reported Gauthier. Matt Willard, a
deputy with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office Economic
Crimes Division, investigated.
Brock said Gauthier was required to publish his public apology
prior to entering a plea to the charge and before season ended
and veterans left the area or he’d face probation. The plea
agreement will end in him being adjudicated guilty by the judge.
“He has offended a lot of veterans by claiming to have
received awards he had not earned and there are a lot of hard
feelings,” Brock said. “It’s not generally a crime to
offend people’s sensibilities or there would be a lot of
people in jail. But of course, he’s done more than that. He
not only has offended people’s sensibilities, he has committed
a crime by getting something he wasn’t entitled to.”
Gauthier’s attorney said his client opted against going to
trial and decided to take the plea. “Mr. Gauthier and I
understand that it offended veterans,” Moffitt said. “As far
as the community is concerned, Mr. Gauthier and I sympathize
with them.”
Gauthier has been exposed by veterans all over. Just put
quotation marks around his first and last name, or add his
middle name, and he’s outed on Web sites such as “Wannabe
Slayers,” pownetwork.org, and greensickle.com. He’s among
hundreds exposed every day by eagle eye veterans watching for
phonies. Photos show he’s been doing it for years in the same
uniform.
Gauthier, who told people stories about the horrors of war and
being a POW in Vietnam, provided what Brock calls a
“counterfeit” military certificate to gain his plates.
It says he was bestowed with about two dozen medals, including
the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver
Stars, two Bronze Stars, the Combat Infantry Badge, a
Meritorious Unit Citation, the Presidential Unit Citation, the
Vietnam Service Medal.
But the list is riddled with spelling errors. And under “years
of service,” instead of tallying time, dates are entered
beyond when he served. Official military documents obtained by
the investigator show he entered military service twice,
beginning on July 23, 1957, ending in an honorable discharge,
but his second entry on May 17, 1961, prompted his discharge
under “other than honorable conditions.”
---
Gauthier's Letter
An open letter to every member of the Armed Forces past
and present; their families and loved ones.
I, Raymond Gauthier, sincerely apologize for wearing a military
uniform at ceremonies laden with awards, decorations, insignia
and rank which I was not entitled to, nor deserve.
Awards always come at the expense of personal sacrifice. I never
made the sacrifice to justify the honor of these awards. My
highest grade earned was Private (E2) and while I did serve an
overseas tour in Korea, I was never in combat which I
fraudulently stated on an official document where I claimed to
have been a prisoner of war in Vietnam, a country, and military
operational area, where I never served as a civilian or member
of any Nation's Armed Forces.
By my deception and for my own selfish purposes, I undertook to
impersonate the acts of valor of others. Having done so I now
realize that my actions were an insult to every veteran. The
honor of all Veterans was degraded by my false claims and I am
profoundly sorry for this. This caused disservice to my country
and all Veterans.
|
Phony POW
From
NBC-2, WBBH-TV,
Collier
County
(
Naples
),
Florida
http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=11700&z=3&p=
20
Mar 07
"Phony
war hero" may apologize to avoid jail
COLLIER
COUNTY
:
The
man many local veterans call a phony war hero may avoid jail time if
he issues a public apology for what he did.
Raymond
Gauthier was arrested in December and charged with forging military
documents to get a Prisoner Of War license plate.
Back
in June, NBC2 pulled his Gauthier's military record and discovered he
had only earned one medal.
But
local veterans say he would wear his uniform, which was covered in
dozens of medals, to parades and other events.
Gauthier
is scheduled to go to trial on the fraud charges on April 10th, but
NBC2 has learned the State's Attorneys Office has offered him a plea
deal.
The
deal, which state officials say Gauthier's attorney has already agreed
to verbally, would force him to apologize publicly in two local
newspapers.
Gauthier
would also have to pay court costs and pay back the discount he got
for his military license plate.
Veterans
say they feel like Gauthier is getting off with just a slap on the
wrist. Many feel he deserves a harsher punishment.
"I'll
tell you one thing - we'd like to give him the punishment he deserves.
We detest anybody like that. We have people in wheelchairs. We detest
that kind of man," said Lawrence Tofani, a local veteran.
Nothing
is official yet, but the State's Attorneys Office says Gauthier has to
meet all the requirements of the plea deal - including the public
apology - by April 10th. If he doesn't, the case will go to trial. If
convicted Gauthier could face up to 5 years in jail.
When
contacted, both Gauthier and his attorney had no comment.
======================
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/jan/23/man_who_sought_pow_plate_awol_hearing/
naplesnews.com
Man who sought POW plate AWOL at hearing
Daily News staff
Tuesday,
January 23, 2007
A bench warrant was issued Monday for a
71-year-old East Naples man who failed to appear at an arraignment
hearing on charges that he fraudulently obtained an ex-prisoner-of-war
license plate for his vehicle.
The hearing for Raymond John Gauthier,
2250 Spruce St., was scheduled for Monday morning, said Matt Willard,
a deputy with the Collier County Sheriff's Office Economic Crimes
Unit.
"The warrants unit, they will go
pick him up," Willard said. "It could be at his house. It
could be at his place of employment."
Gauthier has been attending veteran
functions in Southwest Florida wearing a chest-full of medals and a
green beret and claiming to be an former prisoner-of-war. A number of
veterans were angered by his claims and have been trying to expose him
for months.
Willard said in December that he
obtained an official copy of Gauthier's military record, which showed
he was enlisted twice in the U.S. Army and once in the U.S. Air Force.
He was never a POW and was never awarded a Purple Heart, much less the
four that Gauthier has claimed, Willard said.
Gauthier turned himself in on Dec. 27
and was charged with common cheating and gross fraud. He could face
more than a year in jail if convicted, authorities said.
================
http://www.nbc-2.com/Articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=7624&z=3&p
Kara Kenney
Last updated on: 6/22/2006 7:13:07
AM
Collier man accused of military fraud
COLLIER COUNTY: Symbols of bravery, honor and courage are awarded
to a select few in the armed forces. In a very public way, the
commander of a local veterans group is accusing one of his own of
fraud for wearing medals that he did not earn.
Raymond Gauthier took a picture a few
weeks ago at a Memorial Day ceremony. In the picture he was wearing
a rainbow of medals on his uniform.
Wednesday night, the Commander of the
Military Order of the Purple Hearts said Gauthier wears medals that
he did not earn.
For veterans, a medal is sacred. It is
something men and women have given their lives for.
Commander Jay Jones hoped to confront
Gauthier during a VFW luncheon on Wednesday.
"It's the most fraudulent piece of crap I've ever seen," said
Jones. "I lost my best friend in Vietnam and it makes me sick to see
a guy walking around with Purple Hearts."
Even though Gauthier did not show up to
the luncheon, Jones still made his accusations against the man
who represents himself as a hero.
"Mr. Gauthier was never a POW at any time in any war. He was
never in Vietnam," said Jones in front of the crowd. "He also did
not earn a Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, or two
Bronze Stars."
In a military document, Raymond Gauthier
lists 26 medals he claims to have been awarded. It also notes he
turned down the Medal of Honor.
The investigation started at a World War
II shop in Naples. Two months ago, workers say Raymond Gauthier came
in and asked for a box to hold all of his medals. But people at the
store became suspicious, and the questions began.
The questions were posed to Commander
Jones, who has investigated dozens of similar claims.
He started with background search by
requesting Gauthier's service records from the National Archives and
Record Administration. The documents show Gauthier served in the
Army from 1953 to 1961. In that time he earned a sharpshooter badge
and a National Defense Service Medal. Jones says it is a medal every
soldier receives during boot camp.
"I would probably tell him I'm
embarrassed to be seen in your presence. And it'd be best to stay
out of my way," said veteran Bob Knee.
NBC2’s Kara Kenney went to Gauthier’s
home to get his side of the story.
"I don't want that on there. Take that
off," said Gauthier as he shoved the camera.
Gauthier let NBC2 in and showed us dozens
of medals hanging on the wall. He says he won every one of
them.
Kenney: "Do you have any proof you can show us?"
Gauthier: "I'm
not going to show it to you. I'll show it to the right people at the
right time. There's no problem at all."
Gauthier couldn’t explain why public
documents show he had been awarded one medal and not 26 of
them.
"I have no idea. I have discharge to
prove everything I say," said Gauthier. "I don't have to go around
making stories up. I'm too old for that. I'm 72 years old, and I
don't have to prove anything to nobody."
He explained he would sue whoever is
making the allegations. But Commander Jones says he stands by his
accusations.
In fact, Jones wants Gauthier to stop
wearing the medals and write a letter of apology to the
community.
"It's such an incredible forgery. He
deserves to be shown to the public," said Jones.
Commander Jones explained he forwarded
all the information he has to the FBI because he says it’s a federal
offense to forge military documents.
NBC2 called the FBI but the agency would
not confirm or deny whether they were investigating
Gauthier.
=====================
Alleged phony war
vet arrested on fraud charges
Kara Kenney
Last updated on: 12/27/2006 6:18:48
PM
NAPLES: NBC2 was the first to
expose Raymond Gauthier, a Naples man who claimed to be a war hero
decorated in dozens of medals he did not earn. Gauthier is now sitting
in jail on fraud charges.
Deputies say he forged documents that stated he earned dozens of
military medals - even a POW medal. Detectives say it was the phony
documents that Gauthier used to get a POW license plate.
Gauthier's arrest that took place on Wednesday was a moment many local
veterans say they have been waiting for.
"It makes me feel great because when I see a guy do this, he's
taking away the honor that honorable vets have gotten," said local
war veteran Jay Jones. "This guy is a total phony driving around
with a POW license plate."
Jones filed the criminal complaint against Gauthier this summer which is
when NBC2's original story aired - exposing Gauthier as a phony war
hero.
NBC2 uncovered Gauthier's military documents, military records, and
found out he has only two medals - not the 26 he claims to have earned.
Detective Matt Willard with the Collier County Sheriff's Office found
the same thing.
"He acquired an ex-POW plate for his car. He provided information
to the tag office saying he was an ex-POW when in fact he was not,"
said Willard.
In fact, after the original story aired in June, detectives caught
Gauthier on tape turning in his ex-POW plate at the tax collector's
office.
But even though Gauthier gave it back, Willard says Gauthier still
committed fraud when he forged his military paperwork.
"There are a lot of veterans in Southwest Florida - I'm one of
them. It's a huge offense to someone who served honorably to get a
benefit you have no benefit getting," said Willard.
Now that Gauthier has been arrested, Jones says he'll put his energy
into finding more phony war heroes.
"I have a few in mind right now," said Jones.
Gauthier is being held in the Collier County Jail on a $2,500 bond and
could face up to five years in prison.
He is due in court on January 22.
===================================================
naplesnews.com Decorated demise: Man
arrested for falsely obtaining POW license plate
By Ryan Mills
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
A 71-year-old East Naples man who authorities say has been passing
himself off as a highly-decorated military veteran was arrested today
for fraudulently obtaining an ex-prisoner-of-war license plate for his
vehicle.
Raymond John Gauthier, 2250 Spruce St., has been attending veteran
functions in Southwest Florida wearing a chest-full of medals and a
green beret, said Matt Willard, a deputy with the Collier County
Sheriff’s Office Economic Crimes Division. A number of veterans were
angered by Gauthier’s claims and have been trying to expose him for
months.
A warrant for Gauthier’s arrest was issued recently after Willard
found that Gauthier had used a fraudulent military form, known as a
DD-214, to obtain the POW plate at a reduced rate.
Gauthier turned himself in today and was charged with common cheating
and gross fraud, a third-degree felony, Willard said. Gauthier could
face over a year in jail if convicted.
To prove his case, Willard obtained an official copy of Gauthier’s
military record, which showed he was enlisted twice in the U.S. Army and
once in the U.S. Air Force. He was never a POW and was never awarded a
Purple Heart, much less the four Gauthier claimed, Willard said.
“According to his official military records, he was awarded the
National Defense Service Medal, which basically everybody gets,”
Willard said. “I wouldn’t know what the motivation behind him
wearing all this stuff would be.”
Gauthier was first exposed when he went to Homer Helter’s military
shop, 5510 Shirley St., and asked to have his medals mounted in a case,
Helter said. When Helter examined Gauthier’s DD-214 he noticed a
number of spelling errors.
“His DD-214 not only had four Purple Hearts, and it was spelled F-O-R,
he also had on there that this guy was up for the medal of honor and
declined it,” Helter said. “He’s just a total fraud.”
Jay Jones, a Vietnam veteran who served for years as the commander of
the military order of the Purple Heart for Florida, said he was angry
when he found out what Gauthier was doing.
“By doing this he’s taking the actual honor of guys who served in
combat and making a mockery.”
© 2006 Naples Daily News and NDN Productions. Published in Naples,
Florida, USA by the E.W. Scripps Co.
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