Phony Veteran Gets|a Year in Real Prison

ST. LOUIS (CN) - A phony who claimed to be a wounded veteran and took money for a phony charity was sentenced this week to a year in federal prison.

Matthew Buckingham, 41, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty in August to one felony count of impersonating a federal agent.

Buckingham claimed that his charity, "Veteran Aid From All Foreign Wars," would hold a July 4 raffle with prizes of $3,000 for first, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third.

He bought an ad on CraigsList and hired women to sell raffle tickets, claiming he was a wounded veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

They sold tickets, but the raffle never happened.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster filed a civil lawsuit this month against Buckingham and his phony charity.

Buckingham was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey.

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