KMIR 6 - Palm Springs News, Weather, SportsSacramento man admits to faking military medals
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Associated Press - December 8, 2009 2:54 PM ET
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A man who was known as the unofficial caretaker of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Sacramento has pleaded guilty to wearing a military medal that he didn't earn.
Prosecutors say Kenneth Nelson wore a Silver Star, the military's third-highest decoration, and claimed to have earned three Purple Hearts for combat service in Vietnam.
Officials say the 60-year-old Nelson never served in a combat zone.
Prosecutors charged him in federal court under the Stolen Valor Act, which makes it a misdemeanor to wear medals that weren't awarded or falsely claim they were awarded.
Nelson's fake medals came to the attention of authorities when local media outlets featured his work with the memorial in Capitol Park.
He's scheduled to be sentenced March 1.
Information from: The Sacramento Bee, http://www.sacbee.com
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
