Someday after DeLeo Antonio Barner was discharged from the U.S. Army, he felt the urge to reenlist, in response to federal authorities.
However he was ineligible to rejoin the Army, so officers stated the Missouri native took another person’s id from St. Louis Metropolis Corridor.
Then, in April 1985, Barner enlisted within the Army as somebody with the initials J.S. — a fellow resident of St. Louis, in response to a signed plea settlement.
Whereas pretending to be J.S., Barner served within the Army, the place he was stationed in Berlin, Germany, till he was honorably discharged in November 1988, authorities stated.
Barner stored his “new” identify for 33 years, till he was caught, in response to a Sept. 6 information launch from the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the Japanese District of Missouri.
After pleading responsible to passport fraud, the 60-year-old man was lately sentenced to “100 hours of group service and the time he’s already served in jail,” in response to the information launch. He’ll additionally serve three years of supervised launch.
Along with his responsible plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the cost of aggravated id theft, in response to courtroom data.
In a press release to McClatchy News, protection lawyer Melissa Goymerac stated Barner “is extraordinarily remorseful.”
“The mid-80’s have been a tough time to be a Black man within the service,” she wrote. “Mr. Barner acknowledges disciplinary points within the latter a part of his time within the Army, however felt that he was not handled pretty in his discharge and indefinite bar from reenlistment.”
He was formally discharged in Might 1984, she stated, “because of ‘very poor’ job efficiency.” However as J.S., he had no disciplinary points and acquired a number of decorations, together with an Army Good Conduct Medal.
“Mr. Barner did nothing malicious with JS’s figuring out info,” Goymerac added. “He didn’t accrue debt or take different actions damaging to JS.”
Whereas residing in Germany beneath the J.S. identify, Barner labored for safety companies and had six kids, all who reside beneath his assumed identify, authorities stated. He additionally acquired about $70,000 in incapacity advantages from the Division of Veterans Affairs for “obvious service-connected accidents.”
An investigation into Barner didn’t start till at the least June 2018, when the true J.S. tried to get medical health insurance, in response to the signed plea settlement. J.S. was denied as a result of he had “veteran standing” and entry to VA well being care. However he had by no means served within the army.
Federal brokers started reviewing J.S.’s passport information and discovered an impostor had obtained a passport and several other renewals in his identify — most lately via the United States Embassy in Berlin, data state.
Barner was interviewed in July 2019, officers stated, and he first launched himself as J.S., exhibiting his fraudulent passport as proof. However when confronted, he admitted who he truly was.
The St. Louis native was indicted in March 2020, and he was taken from Berlin to Missouri. He spent a couple of week in jail, in response to the information launch.
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