A Red Deer, Alta. man has pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful use of military uniforms and certificates after allegedly posing as a U.S. Marine veteran at Remembrance Day ceremonies.
A group of veterans stood arm-and-arm on the steps of the Red Deer court house on Wednesday as 59-year-old Peter Toth was sentenced to 18 months’ probation, and 200 hours of community service. A third charge against him was dropped.
Toth was charged after attending Remembrance Day ceremonies in a uniform, allegedly claiming to be a former U.S. Marine Corp. scout sniper who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. His uniform is said to have included a Purple Heart, indicating that he was wounded in action. He also forged military documents.
“To make up those documents, to go out of your way and purposefully buy a rag-tag uniform, that’s the best way to describe it, it’s pre-meditation,” Gord Swaitkewich of Stolen Valour Canada, a Canadian group that investigates and exposes people falsely claiming to be veterans, told CTV Edmonton.
Toth did not speak during his court appearance. The court heard that he destroyed the medals and forged certificate, and takes full responsibility for his actions. The court also heard that Toth suffers from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Canadian Forces veteran Robert Dale said Toth’s actions disrespected those who deserve to be honoured on Remembrance Day.
“For him to do what he did, it’s like him desecrating their graves, and we’re not going to stand for it,” he said. “We are diligent, and we will be catching more people doing this.”
With a report from CTV Edmonton’s Tyson Fedor
