Report issued: November 23rd, 2024 - 09:50am est.
As a combat veteran and small business owner in Fayetteville, North Carolina, I’ve had the privilege of serving my country and building a company dedicated to supporting veterans and their families. But recently, my trust was shattered by an individual who exploited the sacrifices of veterans like myself for his own gain. The individual in question, Clarence Gray Johnsey Jr., went to great lengths to fabricate a story of military service, claiming to be a combat veteran who served in the 75th Ranger Regiment. He used this lie to gain my trust, secure a job with my company, and ultimately defraud me of more than $4,000.
As a veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is deeply disturbing that someone would go to such lengths to impersonate a soldier in order to manipulate and take advantage of someone who has genuinely served our country. This egregious act, which involved both embezzlement and stolen valor, has not only caused significant financial harm to my company, Fort Liberty Lawn LLC, but has also undermined the integrity of veterans and their sacrifices.
My Service to This Country
Before diving into the personal impact of Clarence Gray Johnsey's actions, I’d like to provide some context on my own military background. I joined the U.S. Army in February 2001, eager to serve my country. I was assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, where I deployed three times—twice to Afghanistan and once to Iraq—during my five-year military agreement. I witnessed firsthand the harsh realities of combat and the profound toll it takes on soldiers. After my military service, I went on to work in private contracting roles, including as a Primary Infantry Instructor for Lockheed Martin in Monrovia, Liberia, and as a Tactical Commander for Blackwater USA. I also served as a Flight Security Officer for DynCorp International and as a Site Security Supervisor for the CIA, continuing my commitment to protecting our nation’s interests.
As a 100% service-connected disabled veteran, the sacrifices I made for this country, and the pain I endured, are not something I take lightly. That is why it is so deeply personal to me when someone like Clarence Gray Johnsey Jr. lies about their military service for personal gain.
Stolen Valor and Embezzlement: The Egregious Violation
Clarence Gray Johnsey Jr. claimed that he was a combat veteran who served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, an elite unit in the U.S. Army. He used this lie to manipulate me, gain employment with my business, and build a sense of trust that he would later exploit.
It was only after he had already gained access to my business and was entrusted with customer payments that I discovered he had been embezzling funds from Fort Liberty Lawn LLC. Johnsey diverted more than $4,000 from payments made by my customers, using a CashApp account to funnel the money away from the business. The moment I realized I had been taken advantage of, I began investigating Johnsey's background—and that’s when I uncovered the truth.
Johnsey had lied about his military service. In reality, he never completed basic training with the North Carolina National Guard. He had never served in any combat role or even in a full-time capacity. This wasn’t just a simple exaggeration; this was an outright fraudulent claim intended to gain favor and trust from others. He was actively impersonating a military veteran to manipulate those around him for personal financial gain.
The Personal Impact
For someone who has experienced the trials of military service and seen the effects of combat, the betrayal of trust is incredibly painful. To have someone impersonate a combat veteran for personal gain is not only an affront to me but to all those who have served this country. For me, it goes beyond the financial loss. The very fabric of Fort Liberty Lawn LLC, a business founded on honoring the sacrifices of veterans, was shaken.
What makes Johnsey’s actions even more egregious is the fact that he wasn’t just defrauding a civilian business owner; he was exploiting a combat veteran who had served in some of the most dangerous places in the world. The trust I placed in Johnsey was based on his false claim of military service—a claim that should have been honored, not used as a tool for manipulation and fraud.
The Responsibility of Law Enforcement
What makes this situation even worse is the lack of action by the Fayetteville Police Department. After filing my initial report on September 13, 2024, I have received no significant updates on the case. No charges have been filed, and there has been no meaningful investigation despite the clear evidence of embezzlement and stolen valor. This lack of action has not only left me feeling betrayed by the system I once trusted but has also raised serious concerns about how stolen valor cases are handled by law enforcement.
A Call for Justice
My story is not just about a personal betrayal. It is about protecting the integrity of the veterans’ community and ensuring that those who lie about their service to gain an advantage are held accountable. The impact of stolen valor reaches far beyond the individual. It damages the reputation of all veterans and undermines the sacrifices made by those who have truly served. In my case, it has left a mark on my business and my trust in the legal system.
As a combat veteran and small business owner, I am calling for justice—not only for the theft of my hard-earned money but for the broader implications of Johnsey’s actions. His case exemplifies the danger of stolen valor and the harm it causes to those who have truly served. It is essential that we hold individuals like him accountable to ensure that such deceitful behavior does not continue.
For now, I will continue to push for justice and demand that law enforcement take the necessary actions to hold Clarence Gray Johnsey Jr. accountable for his crimes. And I will continue to stand as an advocate for veterans and small businesses, making sure that our voices are heard and that those who exploit our service are brought to justice.
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