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Phony war hero

A former soldier charged with felony bank fraud and two misdemeanor counts of falsely claiming military awards or decorations is set to plead guilty Thursday to two of the three charges against him, according to the prosecutor handling the case.

Richard David McClanahan, 29, has agreed to plead guilty to bank fraud and falsely claiming a Medal of Honor, said Christy Drake, the assistant U.S. attorney in Amarillo, Texas. As part of the plea agreement, she said, the prosecution will drop the other charge against McClanahan — that he falselyclaimed he had three Silver Stars, three Purple Hearts and the Legion of Merit.

The bank fraud charge carries up to 30 years in prison, and the maximum sentence for the Medal of Honor charge is one year in prison. McClanahan will appear in U.S. District Court in Amarillo in front of federal district judge Mary Lou Robinson. When the plea is accepted, a different date will be set for sentencing, probably a couple months from now, Drake said. Robinson has sole discretion in determining how much time McClanahan should spend behind bars, Drake said.

If McClanahan changes his mind about pleading guilty, the case against him is still set to go to trial Aug. 14.

Army records for McClanahan, a former medic, show he never received an award for valor, and his only overseas assignment, Army officials said, was a year-long tour in South Korea from 2003 to 2004. McClanahan was kicked out of the Army for similar charges, spending time in prison and taking a reduction in rank and an other-than-honorable discharge on his way out, Army officials said. He was in the Army from 2001 to 2005 after a short stint in the Navy.