Arizona man arrested for posing as a military veteran
Jun 8, 2016, 4:13 PM | Updated: Jun 9, 2016, 8:58 am
Eric Wolfe (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Photo)
(Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Photo)
PHOENIX — An Arizona man has been arrested for posing as a military veteran, the Arizona Department of Transportation said on Wednesday.
ADOT said 45-year-old Eric Wolfe, a Tempe resident, submitted forged military discharge paperwork in March when applying for a special veteran status on his driver’s license and a license plate reserved for those who have served.
Earl Fisher with ADOT said Wolfe used the paperwork of a veteran to forge his own copy.
“He took this (form), belonging to another veteran, and placed his own name and Social Security number on it,” Fisher said.
Wolfe allegedly claimed he had served in the Air Force and suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General said it has no records of Wolfe’s service.
“ADOT protects the identities of Arizona residents,” Michael Lockhart, chief of ADOT’s Office of the Inspector General, said in a press release. “Our detectives’ skills in investigating identity theft and forged documents helped us to arrest someone who was using the good name of military veterans for his own gain.”
ADOT said Wolfe used the same forms to defraud businesses as part of Project 22, a charity that supposedly linked veterans with homeless pets, and a nonprofit, Freedom K-9 Rehab.
Those who made donations to Wolfe or his charities are asked to contact ADOT at 602-712-6291. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call 602-277-5684 or 877-712-2370.
Editor’s note: KTAR interviewed Wolfe as part of our Faith in Humanity series. We have pulled both the story and interview from our website.
KTAR’s Lauren Grifo contributed to this report.
