via Fox 6 Now
MILWAUKEE — He claimed to have served our country for 22 years until a FOX6 investigation exposed him as a liar. Now, police are seeking criminal charges against a phony Marine in a case that could make Wisconsin history.
It's a crime in Wisconsin to falsely claim military service in order to gain any kind of tangible benefit. But while the state's so-called 'stolen valor' law has been in place for nearly two years, the lawmaker who wrote the bill is hoping this will be the first case that leads to a conviction.
John Hemphill has fooled a lot of people over the years, including the woman who married him.
Sheila Hemphill thought her husband was a retired United States Marine who'd lost his leg to a roadside bomb in the Middle East -- only to find out the dog tags, the tattoo and the logo on his prosthetic leg were part of the deception.
"He's just lying. He's lying," she said.
Hemphill claimed to be a lieutenant with 22 years of service in the Marine Corps.
"Lt. John. It's right there on your dog tags," FOX6 Investigator Bryan Polcyn said.
"No, it's not. No, it's not," Hemphill said.
But military records obtained by the FOX6 Investigators show he never served a day. We first exposed Hemphill's bogus backstory last fall, and hen State Assemblyman David Steffen saw the report, he didn't mince words.
The complete story here >