SAN DEIGO, Calif., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A former Marine sergeant has pleaded guilty in a California courtroom to impersonating a two-star general and wearing medals he did not earn, authorities said.
David Weber, 69, faces a year of probation if the U.S. District Court judge follows the recommendations of prosecutors and Weber's own attorney, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Friday.
Weber, of Ramona, Calif., served as a sergeant in the Marine Corps from 1958 to 1967, but told neighbors and members of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post he had been a two-star general, the newspaper said.
At a post celebration in November, Weber allegedly wore a general's dress uniform displaying medals he never earned, including two Purple Hearts and five Legion of Merit decorations.
A photo in a local newspaper led to his being uncovered as a fraud, the Union-Tribune said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Arthur Rizer, who received a Purple Heart from his service in Iraq, said the case meant something to him.
"It was an important case to the government and to me personally," Rizer said. "People care about this."
