A woman who was convicted in a stolen valor case was scheduled to be released from prison today, according to multiple reports.
Sarah Cavanaugh was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison in 2023 under the Stolen Valor Act of 2013. In 2023, she was indicted in the state of Rhode Island for falsifying military service, false use of military medals, identity theft and collecting more than $250,000 in cash and benefits intended to be charitable contributions to a wounded and disabled veteran.
Cavanaugh faced the wrath of law enforcement after she said she served in the Marine Corps in both Iraq and Afghanistan and had pulled fellow Marines from a burning Humvee, even when the door crushed her hip.
She claimed her time in the war had led her to needing hearing aids for both ears and said she had developed lung cancer, possibly from the burn pits she said she was exposed to during her time in service.
She also pretended to be a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient.
Her anticipated release comes after she was initially denied an early request in May. She had asked for compassionate release after alleging she had been sexually assaulted while serving her sentence, according to local news outlet WPRI.
The Providence Journal reported how a prosecutor in Cavanaugh’s case said that her conduct “plumbed the depths of moral depravity,” while one victim in the case reportedly said the sentence “does not erase what she did and the lasting impact it had on me and other people she deceived.”
Other Stolen Valor Cases
Stolen valor cases unfortunately occur across the country.
In July, a woman was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison after she falsely claimed to be a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran who had been injured in Afghanistan to claim benefits.
Amanda Kate Walker Bass, 36, of West Tennessee, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of fraudulent use of military medals in February, according to a release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee issued July 30.
U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris sentenced Bass to 16 months in prison and three years of supervised release. The court will enter a judgment of restitution at a later date.
Also in July, a woman pleaded guilty to stealing $160,000 worth of veterans’ and social security benefits that were meant for a family member.
Barbara Ferrell, a 63-year-old woman from Seth, W. Va., pleaded guilty to theft of government money, admitting she stole approximately $160,394.02 while serving as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) appointed fiduciary and Social Security Administration (SSA) representative for a family member.
In June, a woman who stole $240,000 from the VA and used the funds to pay off her student loans, was sentenced to one year in prison.
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