A viral video of veteran Ryan Berk peppering Sean Yetman, a shopper wearing an Army uniform, with questions to determine if he was really in the military has raised questions about whether Yetman should be investigated for violating the Stolen Valor Act.
The video, taken in a Pennsylvania mall on Black Friday, shows that Yetman can’t answer simple military questions, and Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick has written the U.S. Attorney General for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to
ask whether Yetman should be investigated for a federal crime, USA Today said.
The newspaper said Army Human Resources Command had no evidence of Yetman, who was claiming to be an Army Ranger, serving in the armed forces.
Under the Stolen Valor Act of 2013, it is a federal crime to misrepresent oneself as a military member to get any tangible benefits. It is unknown whether Yetman received any military discounts or benefits from wearing the uniform.
A spokesperson for the attorney general said no cases have been prosecuted under the Stolen Valor law, USA Today said.
“It’s frustrating, because you serve with good men who have either lost their lives or have been seriously wounded who earned that uniform,”
Berk told "Good Morning America."
GMA said Yetman pleaded guilty to impersonating a police officer in 2003.
The Stolen Valor Act was passed because of other cases where people pretended to be soldiers. In 2011, a man was charged with second-degree impersonation after saying he was a soldier to get an upgrade to first-class on an airplane.
Although many are speaking out against such charades, many people also commented on Berk’s YouTube video to say that Berk should have left Yetman alone because there was no proof he got any discounts by wearing the uniform. They also said he may have had a mental illness and that it was his free speech right to wear the uniform if he wanted to.