A Lakeland man was arrested Wednesday, Jan. 25, on Stolen Valor charges.
- Lakeland man arrested on Stolen Valor charges
- Kyle Barwan accused of impersonating a military member, soliciting funds
- Barwan has previous charges for impersonating an officer in 2 other states
Kyle Christopher Barwan, 27, is charged with soliciting funds/misrepresenting military service.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office received a tip in December from someone who read a blog about Barwan impersonating military officers.
According to authorities, Barwan has previously been arrested and charged federally for impersonating an officer in the military in two different states - Kentucky and Illinois.
The investigation began after Barwan befriended a Polk County woman online and told her many lies about his military service.
According to the report, Barwan told the woman that he was a Major in the Army and that he just returned from a 5-year deployment in Afghanistan and England.
Barwan showed the woman videos and pictures of his time overseas. He even created a contact in his cell phone named "US Government," the report said.
This caused the woman to believe Barwan was in fact a member of the US military.
According to the report, Barwan also solicited money from the woman "to benefit one of his fellow soldiers who was injured in the war."
It wasn't until the woman brought Barwan to a family Christmas Eve party that the suspicions started.
The woman's family members, who have prior military service, became suspicious of Barwan's claims and stories.
That's when the woman searched Barwan's name online and found several news stories where he had been arrested in the past for posing as a military officer.
During the investigation a report was obtained stating that Barwan enlisted in the Army National Guard of Kentucky on 3/20/2007 and was discharged on 1/22/2008 at the rank of Private 2nd Class.
According to the report, Barwan was discharged for failure to meet medical procurement standards and his character of service was listed as "uncharacterized."
An uncharacterized discharge from the military is an entry-level separation issued when the enlisted person has fewer than 180 days of service.
The records prove that Barwan is no longer affiliated with the Army/Army National Guard, is not an Officer, was never deployed, and was never injured in the line of duty.
Barwan was taken into custody in Plant City and is currently being held in the Hillsborough County jail before being transferred to the Polk County jail.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd commented on the crime saying: "Lying about being in the military to steal money from someone is not only egregious, it's against the law. It's also a slap in the face to all the fine men and women across the nation who have served in our country's military with honor. Kyle Barwan is a disgrace."