Ex-soldier faked combat trauma for veteran's benefits

HONOLULU — A former soldier in Hawaii who pleaded guilty to faking combat injuries and trauma to receive veteran’s benefits has been sentenced to a year and a half in prison.

Prosecutors say 32-year-old Maui resident Cody Joslin was in the Army for nine months but never served in a combat zone or overseas. Prosecutors say he submitted paperwork to the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs claiming he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and tinnitus from combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Prosecutors say Joslin fabricated stories about witnessing combat-related deaths and purchased fake military certifications online from a veteran who had been convicted of selling counterfeit U.S. documents.

At his sentencing Wednesday, a judge also ordered Joslin to pay more than $48,000 restitution for the disability benefits he wasn’t entitled to.

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