The former command sergeant major at Walter Reed Army Medical Center is facing up to 16 years in prison on charges he falsified his official record and wore a litany of decorations and qualification badges he was not awarded.
Charges filed July 8 accused Command Sgt. Maj. Stoney N. Crump of wearing 11 awards that he didn’t earn, including the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with Arrowhead Device, the Presidential Unit Citation Award, and the Senior Parachutist Badge.
He allegedly wore the decorations and qualification badges at Walter Reed in Washington, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, Fort Bliss, Texas, and Heidelberg, Germany, according to the charge sheets.
He is also charged with falsely claiming to have attended several elite schools, including U.S. Army Ranger School, Special Forces Airborne School and Sniper School.
Crump had been relieved of duty in May for “unauthorized wear/claim of military awards, badges, and decorations,” Army officials said.
At Walter Reed and Heidelberg, Crump also allegedly falsified his command sergeant major biography by claiming he had been awarded a Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon and that he was a registered nurse, according to the charge sheets.
A spokesman for Europe Regional Medical Command in Heidelberg declined to comment because the investigation is ongoing.
Crump is represented by an attorney at Fort Belvoir Trial Defense Service, according to Army Times. A woman who answered the phone at trial defense services said the office would have no comment on Crump.
Crump did not return an e-mail seeking comment by deadline on Monday.
Walter Reed spokesman Chuck Dasey declined to say how Crump’s alleged deceptions were discovered. Crump’s Article 32 hearing similar to a civilian grand jury, is slated for August.
He faces charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, not the Stolen Valor Act, a federal law that was recently ruled unconstitutional. That act was intended to apply to veterans or people who were never in the military, said James Klimaski, a civilian attorney who practices military law.
Command Sgt. Maj. Stoney N. Crump is accused of falsely claiming the following:
AWARDS
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with Arrowhead Device
U.S. Navy Achievement Medal
Meritorious Unit Citation
Army Superior Award
Presidential Unit Citation
U.S. Marine Corps Drill Instructor Ribbon
Senior Aviation Badge
Senior Parachutist Badge
Three overseas service bars
SCHOOLS
Reconnaissance School
Sniper School
Drill Sergeant Course
U.S. Army Ranger School
Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course
Special Forces Airborne School
Special Forces Jungle Warfare Course
Panamanian Jungle School
Special Operations Combat Medic Course
Flight Standardization Course.
In his Walter Reed and Heidelberg bios, he also claimed to be awarded the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon and that he was a registered nurse. In his Heidelberg bio, he claimed he was awarded the Overseas Service Ribbon and the Air Crew Member Badge.