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CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: The case is called “The United States versus Xavier Alvarez.” It all started because of comments made at a public meeting in southern California. Xavier Alvarez had been elected to the board of directors of a local water district. He spoke to other board members at a meeting in September two thousand seven.
His own lawyers admit that almost everything he said about himself at that meeting - other than his name - was a lie. Alvarez claimed he had been a police officer, a hockey player and an engineer. He said he was secretly married to a famous and beautiful young actress from Mexico. He also said he had even rescued the American ambassador during the Iranian hostage crisis in the nineteen seventies. None of that is true. But it also was not against the law for him to make those claims.
But then Xavier Alvarez said he was a retired United States Marine. He said he was wounded in battle and had been awarded the Medal of Honor. But Alvarez had never served in the Marines or retired from the armed forces. And he had never earned the country’s highest military honor. When he said he had, he broke the law.
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CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Lawyers for Xavier Alvarez say he was speaking as an official of an elected body when he lied about the medal. They say this shows he was “engaged in political speech.” And, they say, that kind of speech has always enjoyed “special protection” under the Constitution and court rulings.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
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2013-11-25