Former Marine admits to making up brain injury to defraud charities

[Karee 4,190]

New, 3:24 p.m.

Michael Campbell, a former U.S. Marine who touched many people with his story of living with a combat-related brain injury, has admitted to making the whole thing up to defraud charities, according to federal court documents.

Campbell has agreed to plead guilty to one count of mail fraud, although a judge has yet to approve it. If that happens, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

Campbell served in the Marine Corps from 2000 to 2004 but never left the U.S. and was never injured in combat.

But he began telling people he was a combat veteran who suffered a traumatic brain injury while serving in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He described how he and his unit were on patrol in Fallujah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device went off.

He said members of his unit died in the explosion “and that he awoke from his serious injuries months later stateside at Walter Reed Army Hospital,” court documents state.

Campbell also told people he couldn’t speak and that when his speech returned, he stuttered. He also claimed to have short-term memory loss from this brain injury.

He concocted the story to “get financial help to obtain his dream of playing golf on the PGA Tour,” documents state. He told people one of his doctors suggested he take up golf to help with his rehabilitation. He created a website and used a promotional video as part of his scheme.

“Campbell was convincing in his story,” court documents said.

He won the support of famous people who backed charity golf tournaments for wounded warriors. Campbell convinced them to write stories on his behalf and to give him access to expensive golf schools and courses.

That allowed him to continue to defraud people with this scheme and seek “endorsement contracts for golf apparel and equipment,” federal authorities said in court documents.

Among those who believed his story was prominent golf analyst David Feherty, who wrote a column about Campbell for Golf Magazine in 2010.

NPR also fell victim in 2010.

Campbell used his fake story to take part in a charity event that paid for him and others to travel to where they were injured so they could be empowered by leaving on their own rather than in a medical helicopter.

Campbell took part in Operation Proper Exit VIII in December 2010. He was flown from Dallas to Dubai and then taken to Fallujah via military transport. The trip cost thousands of dollars.

“All this despite the fact that Campbell’s story was a complete fabrication,” court documents said.

Campbell was at it again in June 2011, telling his fake story to a person who wrote a $5,000 check to the Troops First Foundation and gave it to him. Campbell mailed the check to an executive with the charity who issued a check in the same amount to Campbell.

Campbell also defrauded other charities including Operation Homefront and Counter Valor, receiving from them automobile payments, auto insurance payments, room and board, utilities, transportation, living expenses, and golf tournament entry fees, documents state.

Campbell admitted in the court documents to defrauding his victims out of at least $40,000.

Source:

http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2013/02/former-marine-admits-to-making-up-brain-injury-to-defraud-charities.html/

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Wow. What scum.

[Karee 4,190]

Wow. What scum.

Yeah, 20 years seems about right.