FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 10, 2008
CARL ANTHONY NISSEN PLEADS GUILTY AND SENTENCED IN U.S. FEDERAL COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Billings, Montana, on April 10, 2008, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn S. Ostby, CARL ANTHONY NISSEN, a 42-year-old resident of Billings, Montana, pled guilty to an Information which alleged NISSEN knowingly and falsely represented himself verbally and in writing to have been awarded decorations and medals authorized by Congress for the Armed Forces of the United States of America, that is the Silver Star, Combat Action Ribbon with two devices, Navy Commendation with device, Navy Achievement Medal and Navy Unit Commendation, all in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 704(b). Sentencing was held immediately following NISSEN'S guilty plea.
In an Offer of Proof read by the United States in open court, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
In December of 2007, the FBI in Billings received a tip based on a larger, national investigation, that NISSEN was potentially wearing ribbons and qualification badges on his United States Marine Corps (USMC) dress blue uniform which he did not earn. NISSEN wore the ribbons and qualification badges on numerous occasions while attending events sponsored by the local Marine Corps League.
The FBI obtained a copy of NISSEN'S DD-214, the discharge document used by the USMC, from the Military Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The FBI compared the DD-214 provided by the military and the copy NISSEN provided to the Marine Corps League. The document provided by NISSEN to the Marine Corps League had an altered discharge date, altered specialty number and title, additional and altered decorations, medals, badges commendations, citations and campaign ribbons awarded or authorized. The altered DD-214 also included claims of additional education and training completed by NISSEN.
During the course of the investigation it was also discovered that NISSEN was interviewed by the Billings Gazette for a story on the fall of Saigon in April of 2005. NISSEN claimed in the story to have served three tours of duty in Vietnam and to having served 12 years in the USMC. NISSEN actually served 3 years in the USMC and one tour in Vietnam. NISSEN also claimed to have served in Desert Storm. NISSEN never served in Desert storm.
NISSEN was interviewed and confessed to altering his discharge document. After his confession, NISSEN sent the medals he falsely wore back to the FBI along with a letter of apology. A check of VA records confirmed that NISSEN did not use the altered discharge document to obtain veteran's benefits or preference.
NISSEN faced possible penalties of 6 months in prison, a $5,000 fine and 1 year supervised release. NISSEN was sentenced to pay a fine of $250 plus a $5 court surcharge.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica T. Fehr prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
# # # #
