Blake Hall
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Freemane J. Brown. A man with absolutely no shame. Or respect. Or a legitimate military record.
According to Tampa, Florida authorities, he conned good-spirited, innocent people into giving him money “for veterans” while standing outside a Wawa convenient store posing as a former Navy SEAL Team Six commander wearing clothes he bought at an Army/Navy surplus store.
He was promptly arrested by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and charged with unlawful use of uniforms, medals or insignia — a felony.
More from the Tampa Bay Times:
About 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, a citizen notified deputies about an individual wearing a military uniform “aggressively soliciting” money for veterans at the Wawa store at 804 E Bearss Ave. in Tampa.
Deputies found Brown there wearing a Navy uniform with the rank of commander, 21 ribbons including the Navy Cross and Silver Star, as well as the Navy Seal Trident and Jump Wings. Many of the items on the uniform were not in compliance with standard military regulations.
The Wawa manager told deputies she gave permission to Brown two days earlier to stand outside the store because she believed he was a veteran.
During questioning, Brown first told deputies he was a former member of Seal Team Six — the moniker for the unit that was part of the operation that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden — and was “traveling all over the world.” After further questioning, Brown admitted he was never a Navy Officer and never served as a Navy Seal.
Here’s a closeup of the fraudulent valor Brown was sporting on his lapel:
