Judge deems courtroom lies an act of stolen valor

[Solar]

Love this judge!!!

They had claimed they were Veterans so they could get their cases moved to a special court designed for Veterans.
Problem  is, the judge checked their claims and when he discovered they had lied, he threw the book at them.
The court was designed to consider a Vets service when deciding their punishment, in many cases they get creative sentences to help them in lieu of punishment.


GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Two Montana men who were sentenced to prison for violating the terms of the probation in separate crimes won't be eligible for parole until they complete a writing assignment given because they falsely claimed to have served in the military to have their cases moved to a veterans court.

Cascade County District Judge Greg Pinski sentenced Ryan Patrick Morris, 28, and Troy Allan Nelson, 33, on Friday. Morris got 10 years in prison for violating the terms of his probation for felony burglary, while Nelson got five years on a drug possession conviction. Pinski suspended three years of each defendant's sentence.

A local judge ordered a Cascade County man to complete community service and pay a fine for lying to the court about serving in the military in order to gain entrance into the Veterans Treatment Court.

Ryan Patrick Morris was originally charged with burglary and theft for allegedly stealing a television from an off-limits storage area at his rental property in April.

District Judge Greg Pinski, who presides over Veterans Court, found Morris to be in contempt of court Wednesday for the false statements he made during the court during the progress of that case.

"You stated you served in the military," Pinski said, "that has not been verified."

Morris admitted he made false statements to the court.

"I'd like to offer my deepest apology to any veterans out there that I've disrespected," Morris said.

According to court documents, Morris told the court he was a veteran during his first court appearance in May. He elaborated during a subsequent hearing on Sept. 28 before Pinski.

The judge read back Morris' statements from hearing transcripts, verifying that Morris told the court, "I've done seven combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Records show Morris also said he suffered from combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder and had a hip replacement after being injured by an improvised explosive device, or IED. He indicated he wanted to take care of the charges against him as quickly as possible, according to records.

During the September hearing, Pinski told Morris, who was out on bond, to meet with the Veterans Court coordinator about admission to the program, however, the following day Morris was accused of violating bail conditions by carrying a firearm and consuming alcohol.

Court transcripts show he made an initial appearance after the alleged violations and said, "I'm a seven-time combat vet, special teams operator. I was actually at the Mayor's Challenge. I'm actually on the outreach team for any homeless vets with Mayor Kelly."
Records also show Morris refused to sign a release for the court to obtain an official service record. Morris' father contacted the Veterans Court coordinator in October to say that his son never served in the military, though he tried several times, and that Morris previously lied about being a veteran in Georgia.More....

https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2016/11/09/judge-deems-courtroom-lies-act-stolen-valor/93572238/