Ex-Navy Commander Accused of Faking 9/11 Injury at Pentagon
A retired U.S. Navy commander has been criminally charged with allegedly faking a serious injury from the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon.
Charles Coughlin, 49, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Friday, along with his wife, for allegedly overstating the extent of his injuries on that day, in order to collect some $330,000 in victim compensation, reports the Washington Post.
He pleaded not guilty yesterday at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., to charges of mail fraud, theft of public money and filing fraudulent claims, the newspaper writes. She pleaded not guilty to a charge of mail fraud. Both were released without bail.
In a civil lawsuit filed earlier in an effort to recover the compensation paid to Coughlin, the government says the retired navy commander contended he was unable to participate in strenuous sports after the 9/11 attack. “In fact, prosecutors wrote, Coughlin ran the New York City Marathon ‘in under four hours’ just two months after the attacks. He also continued to play lacrosse and basketball.”
Initially, Coughlin was awarded a Purple Heart and Meritorious Service Medal concerning what happened that day, the newspaper notes.
