Troy, Pennsylvania Man Sentenced to Prison, Ordered to Pay Restitution for False Valor Claims, Fraud Scheme

United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced today that Dale G. Farr, a resident of Troy, Pennsylvania has been sentenced in federal court in Erie to 45 months’ in jail and ordered to make restitution in the amount of $173,248.05 on his conviction of falsely representing military decorations and awards and bank fraud.

Senior United States District Judge Maurice B. Cohill, Jr. imposed the sentence on Farr, age 34.

According to information presented to the court by Assistant United States Attorney Marshall J. Piccinini, from in and around October 2005, to in and around August 2007, Farr falsely represented that he had been awarded various military medals and awards when in fact, Farr was separated from the United States Army with a general discharge for misconduct and had never suffered wounds in combat. According to information provided to the court, Farr’s fabricated military decorations and awards falsely represented that he was a United States Army Special Forces Captain and that he earned the Purple Heart for wounds he received in action in the Afghanistan Campaign; the Silver Star Medal for conspicuous gallantry in action; and the Bronze Star Medal with V Device for valor for conspicuous gallantry in action in the Afghanistan campaign. Farr also used the fabricated awards to obtain a military discount on the purchase of a vehicle and to obtain a special, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Purple Heart license plate for his vehicle.

In addition, Farr defrauded the Erie Federal Credit Union by depositing counterfeit and forged corporate checks into his credit union account and then withdrawing funds from that account. In one instance, Farr presented a counterfeit and forged check in the amount of $150,158.00 to the Erie Federal Credit Union and then wire transferred $130,000 from his Erie Federal Credit Union account into his Northwest Savings Bank personal account and spent most of the remaining money before the bank realized that the check was fraudulent.

Ms. Buchanan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Farr.