FBI * 11000 Wilshire Blvd. * Los Angeles, Ca 90024 * 310-996-3804,3343,4402 * Fax: 310-996-3345

June 21, 2007

MAN WHO POSED AS MILITARY GENERAL WITH PHONY RIBBONS CHARGED IN FEDERAL COURT A Montebello man who misrepresented his military service by posing as a U.S. Army General and recipient of the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the Silver Star, was due in court today to face federal charges of violating Title 18, U.S .Code, Section 704 and 702; the unauthorized use of military Medals or Decorations, and the unauthorized use of the Uniform of the Armed Forces. Augustine Hernandez, 76, of Montebello, was summoned to appear in court Wednesday but did not, due to a medical condition which left him hospitalized, according to a family member. According to a document filed in support of these charges in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Hernandez was observed and photographed wearing the uniform of a Major General of the U.S. Army while attending a memorial ceremony in Montebello, California. The ceremony was held in December 2006 to posthumously honor Guy Gabaldon, a U.S. Marine who was awarded the Navy Cross. The charges allege that Hernandez wore ribbons on his uniform during the ceremony, including the Bronze Star, the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. Members of the military community who attended the ceremony became suspicious of Hernandez' uniform and ribbons and hired a private investigator to investigate whether or not Hernandez was misrepresenting his military service. The private investigator subsequently shared evidence with the FBI indicating Hernandez had never attained the rank of General and had never received the awards for which he wore ribbons. An FBI check with the Federal Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri containing Hernandez' official military personnel folder revealed that Hernandez was honorably discharged by the U.S. Army in 1954 as a Private, First Class, and contained no record of Hernandez having earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star or the Purple Heart. The Silver Star, the fifth-highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the U.S. Army, is a service medal and ribbon authorized by Congress for the armed forces of the United States in December 1942. The Bronze Star, the tenth-highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the U.S. Army, is a service medal and ribbon of the armed forces of the United States, authorized by President Franklin Roosevelt under Executive Order 9419 in February 1944. The Purple Heart is a service medal and ribbon of the armed forces of the United States awarded in the name of the president to those who have been wounded or killed while serving. Hernandez is scheduled to be back in court for a continuance of his hearing in August 2007. If convicted on both charges, he faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail and other penalties. This case was investigated by the FBI in Los Angeles and St. Louis and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.