The man also pretended to have a Purple Heart and forged military documents, the Pasco Sheriff said.

PASCO COUNTY – A New Port Richey man falsely represented himself to be a military veteran so he could get a job, according to the Pasco County Sheriff.

Stephen Henry Lang, 23, of Lazy river LP 204, New Port Richey, was charged with one count of uttering a forged instrument and one count of using a forged instrument to get a military uniform medal insignia. Both are felonies.

Deputies said Lang told a prospective employer that he was a U.S. Army veteran and holder of a Purple Heart. Lang even showed the employer a license tag with a purple heart. Deputies said he forged a military form in order to fraudulently get the tag from the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles. He did this to gain sympathy from his prospective employer, Chris Dunn of Tranquility Pools, and thereby get the job and material gain, deputies said. Lang showed the fraudulent military form to another prospective employer at Bella Pools in another effort to give himself a better chance at a job.

Deputies said he admitted fabricating the document from a Google download.

For information about the Pasco sheriff, go to pascosheriff.com.

Pasco Sheriff | Crime | Army Veteran | Tampa Bay Reporter

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