New Jersey man guilty of stolen valor

A New Jersey man has admitted that he lied about being a prisoner of war to get gifts, including a nearly $32,000 deck for his home. On March 20, Robert Guidi, of Mine Hill, pleaded guilty to theft by deception and violating the state's Stolen Valor Act.

Last January, Wharton, N.J. police charged Robert J. Guidi, 67 with theft by deception by allegedly misrepresenting himself as a "war hero" and receiving benefits and services Guidi admitted he deceived the Wounded Warriors in Action Foundation and the Morris County Veterans Service Office.

The value of the products and services Guidi received as a result of allegedly embellishing his U.S. Army record is about $30,000, authorities said.

In an interview published in a New Jersey newspaper in 2015, Guidi described himself as, in part, a former Green Beret sniper and a prisoner-of-war during the Vietnam War, a soldier who saved lives of other soldiers, and he alternatively gave his rank upon discharge from the U.S. Army in 1972 as a sergeant or captain. He also said he had been awarded the Medal of Valor, a Bronze Star, and Purple Heart for having sustained two wounds. He further asserted that his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and cancer were a result of the war.

Wharton police had received a tip about alleged falsifications in Guidi's military record. They said the records showed that Guidi was actually discharged as a private, having served in a clerical position during the War.

According to the Daily Record, prosecutors will recommend Guidi be sentenced to three years in prison and make restitution when he's sentenced in May. His lawyer is seeking long-term probation.