Idaho National Guard LT Accused of 10 Year Fraud

This person was a Lieutenant in the Idaho National Guard. Think about that for a second. This person also stands charged with fabricating wounds he did not receive while serving in Iraq. He did a lot more damage than just taking money, if all this is true. If all this is true, then the men under his command, really wounded and trying to get benefits for real wounds just suffered the ultimate betrayal.

Feds: Snoqualmie coach lied his way into Purple Heart
Former Idaho National Guard member accused of stealing $250,000 in government benefits SEATTLEPI.COM
BY LEVI PULKKINEN STAFF
January 29, 2015

Wright hired his sister, Karen Bevens, as his caretaker; Bevens, a 43-year-old Duvall resident, now faces a single fraud count.

A Snoqualmie man accused of duping the Army into awarding him a Purple Heart now faces fraud charges.

Federal prosecutors claim Darryl Lee Wright managed to steal $250,000 in government benefits during the past 10 years. Wright, 46, is alleged to fraudulently put himself forward as a wounded Iraq veteran to gain some of the money.

A federal grand jury returned a nine count indictment against Wright in November. The allegations were unsealed Wednesday; Wright is alleged to have defrauded the Veterans Affairs Department, the Army and the U.S. Commerce Department, among other federal agencies.

At the height of the fraud, Wright and his sister were receiving $10,341 a month in undeserved government benefits, according to the indictment. They did so while Wright worked, coached basketball and ran for public office.

According to the indictment, Wright claimed to have suffered traumatic brain injury during an Aug. 30, 2005, rocket attack while he was serving in Iraq as a lieutenant with the Idaho National Guard.

Wright ultimately received a Combat Action Badge – a decoration reserved for soldiers who’ve been under fire – and a Purple Heart signifying a battle wound.
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Think about the stories we've read over the years about claims not being approved and wounded suffering for their service. Here's a reminder in case you forgot.
Some from Idaho killed in Iraq 2005

• Army Sgt. Kelly S. Morris, 24, of Boise, was killed by small-arms fire March 30, 2005, while patrolling in east Baghdad.
• Army Sgt. John B. Ogburn III, 45, of Fruitland, died May 22, 2005, in a Humvee accident near Kirkuk, Iraq.
• Army Staff Sgt. Virgil R. Case, 37, of Mountain Home, died June 1, 2005, in Kirkuk, Iraq, of non-combat-related injuries.
• Army Spc.Carrie French, 19, of Caldwell, died June 5, 2005, in Kirkuk when her vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
• Marine Lance Cpl. Dustin V. Birch, 22, of St. Anthony, was one of five Marines killed in a roadside bombing June 9, 2005, in Haqlaniyah, Iraq.
• Army Sgt. Ivan Vargas Alarcon, 23, of Jerome, died Nov. 17, 2005, in Tal-Afar, Iraq, when the Humvee he was riding in flipped during combat operations.

The Denver Post has a reminder of some of what people have forgotten. Here are just a few of the images they collected of war in Iraq.

A U.S. soldier carries an Iraqi girl away from the scene of three explosions September 30, 2004 in Baghdad, Iraq. Three separate explosions near a U.S. military convoy which was passing the opening ceremony for a sewage station killed at least 35 people and wounded more than 100 others in southern Baghdad according to Iraqi police. (Photo by Wathiq Khuzaie/Getty Images)

Although wounded, Staff Sgt. Shannon Kay, of 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, fires on an enemy position after being attacked with a car bomb, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2004, in Mosul, Iraq. (AP Photo/Army Times, M. Scott Mahaskey, via USA Today)

U.S. Army Sergeant 1st Class Troy Hawkins of the 1st Cavalry, Task Force 1-9, falls to the ground after being wounded during a firefight while on patrol with an Iraqi Army unit February 16, 2005 in the Haifa Street neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq. After being tended to by a medic he continued to fight in the narrow streets. The U.S. Army was handing control of the volatile area over to the Iraqi military as they continued to decrease their involvement in the city. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Libya Hotel Attack Claimed Life of Camp Pendleton Veteran

Camp Pendleton Marine Veteran Killed In Libya Hotel Attack (Video)
KPBS News
By Beth Ford Roth
January 28, 2015

The only American killed in Tuesday's attack on a luxury hotel in Libya was a Marine Corps veteran who'd served at Camp Pendleton.

According to CNN, David Berry was one of ten people killed when gunmen stormed the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli. Five of dead were Libyans, four French, and Berry the sole American who lost his life.

Cliff Taylor, who is CEO of Crucible (a private security firm), told The New York Daily News that Berry was an employee of his company, and worked as a security manager in Tripoli.
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PTSD Iraq Veteran With Service Dog Get Apology from Tampa

City of Tampa forced to make changes after a veteran's service dog was kicked out of a park 
ABC News
Alex Hobson
Jan 28, 2015

TAMPA, Fla. - A local veteran has received a formal letter of apology from the City of Tampa after an investigation found city staff ordered him to remove his service dog from a public park, which violates Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"It started off like a normal day," Cesar Silva recalls.

It was June 16, 2013. Silva had gone to Picnic Island Park with his service dog, Sophia, when he says a city parks and recreation worker approached.

"A maintenance man pulls up and says, 'Hey you're not allowed to be there in the water.' I go, 'Well I'm a disabled veteran, and she's my service animal.' He says, 'I don't care, still a dog, no dogs are allowed,'" Silva said.

But to him, Sophia is much more than just a dog. Silva is an Iraq War veteran who suffers from PTSD along with some mobility issues. Anywhere he goes, so does she.
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Vietnam Veteran Needs Dog Trainer To Save Bear

Veteran’s dog evicted from Dan River Crossing apartments 
GoDanRiver.com
Denice Thibodeau
January 27, 2015

Denice Thibodeau/Register and Bee Robert “Bobby” Stewart visited with his dog, Bear, on Sunday, getting an expected paw-shake in exchange for a treat. Bear is being taken care of by Chris Soyangco (right) after being evicted from Dan River Crossing apartments for what management labeled as aggressive behavior. Bear barks and growls when strangers approach Stewart, who — while he can take a few cautious steps — typically uses a wheelchair to get around.

Robert “Bobby” Stewart misses his companion, a yellow Labrador/hound mix named Bear.

The dog was evicted from Dan River Crossing apartments, on Bridge Street, about two weeks ago for being aggressive, Stewart said. Stewart — who uses a wheelchair to get around — is a Vietnam veteran suffering from kidney failure and high blood pressure.

He got Bear about two-and-a-half years ago as a puppy and trained the dog to be his companion and protector. Bear will bark and growl when people he does not know approach, but he has never attacked or bitten anyone, Stewart said. “He barks when the elevator doors open so people know to let me out,” Stewart said. The dog has scared some people, Stewart admits.

The most recent incident was one day when Stewart and Bear were leaving the apartment building through a door that does not have a window. When Stewart swung the door open, another tenant was reaching for the door from the other side.
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Soldier's Wife Does Unthinkable Quieting Children

Woman slashes her children's throats to quiet them, police say 
CNN
By Emma Lacey-Bordeaux
January 28, 2015

Thomas Booth has not been charged, and KOMO reports that police do not suspect he played any kind of role in the violence. KOMO reports he's an active-duty soldier who was recently deployed overseas.

(CNN)A young mother in Washington state has been charged with attempted murder after authorities say she cut her children's throats in an attempt to keep them quiet.

Over the weekend, Christina Booth called 911 to report that her three children were crying nonstop and "needed medical attention," according to a recent probable cause filing. The 28-year-old and her husband, Thomas Booth, have three children, a 2-year-old and 6-month-old twins. When officers arrived at the Olympia, Washington, home Saturday night, they found a troubling scene.

As spelled out by a local prosecutor, police saw the twins on the couch crying "uncontrollably" and "bleeding from their necks."

 One officer then went upstairs and found the couple's 2-year-old in bed, under the covers with "dry blood all over her."

 All three were taken to a local hospital, where, CNN affiliate KOMO reports, they underwent surgery. They are now in stable condition and will be placed in protective custody. In their probable cause filing, authorities paint a picture of a mother overwhelmed and suffering from postpartum depression. A judge set bail for Booth at $3 million, KCPQ, another CNN affiliate, reported.
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