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Friday, March 29, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Prison Awaits Man Who Faked Military Honors

HOUSTON (CN) - A Texan will serve a month in prison for altering his military discharge certificate to fake the receipt of a Silver Star, two Purple Hearts and three Bronze Stars.

Paul Schroeder, 41, of Shenendoah, formerly served as director of counseling for the PTSD Foundation, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Schroeder was indicted in June. On Monday he admitted to U.S. District Judge David Hittner that he altered his military discharge papers.

"According to court records, in April 2009, Schroeder applied for military meritorious service license plates with the Texas Department of Transportation (DOT)," prosecutors said in the statement.

"In the application, Schroeder certified that during the course of his military service he had been awarded the Silver Star, supporting this claim with a fraudulently altered certificate of release or discharge from active duty purporting to have been issued under authority of the Department of Defense (DOD).

"FBI special agents obtained a copy of Schroeder's service record from the DOD and compared it to the document submitted by Schroeder to Texas DOT.

"The comparison revealed that besides having never been awarded a Silver Star, Schroeder falsely reported he was the recipient of numerous awards and training from various combat schools.

"Those false assertions included two Purple Heart awards, three Bronze Star awards, two Meritorious Service Medals, training from Special Forces Assessment and Selection, Army Ranger School, Pathfinder Course, Jumpmaster School, Airborne School, Military Freefall School and the Combat Dive Qualification Course."

Prosecutors said the DOT issued Schroeder the meritorious license plates, which Schroeder used until confronted by law enforcement.Hittner declined Schroeder's request for probation and ordered him to pay a $3,000 fine in addition to the jail time.

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