Fake Vietnam Vet Charged

WILMINGTON - A North Carolina man charged with posing as a highly decorated Marine colonel faces new charges that he lied about Vietnam battle injuries and took more than $30,000 in veteran's benefits.

Michael Hamilton of Richlands was indicted by a federal grand jury this week. The 67-year-old does not have a listed telephone number and could not be reached by The Associated Press on Friday.

The indictment was first reported by the Daily News of Jacksonville. The indictment alleges Hamilton fraudulently said during a VA compensation medical exam that he had been in combat situations in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia that included stabbings and atrocities such as his best friend's decapitation.

Hamilton is accused of receiving more than $30,000 in disability payments in the past three years for service-related ailments.