imposter news stories on Newser

Osama Fallout: Fake Navy SEALs Emerge

Kevin Spak — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:28:05 CDT

Even before a SEAL shot Osama bin Laden in the face, Don Shipley was finding 15 to 20 fake SEALs a day. Shipley is one of a handful of people with access to the database of all current and former SEALs, and he’s made something of a hobby out of...

British Brought in Taliban Impostor: Karzai Aide

Matt Cantor — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 09:11:05 CST

British officials are at fault for bringing a Taliban impostor to Afghanistan’s presidential palace to meet Hamid Karzai, the president’s chief of staff tells the Washington Post . An Afghan at the meeting knew the man wasn’t top Taliban figure Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour; foreigners shouldn’t be dealing with the militants,...

Afghanistan Is 'Faking Us Out'

Matt Cantor — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 10:03:05 CST

Considering the fact that the billions we've spent on intelligence hasn't enabled us to distinguish between an impostor and an actual Taliban leader, it’s no wonder the war in Afghanistan is a mess. “The tragedy has descended into farce,” writes Maureen Dowd in the New York Times . We’re “trying to...

'Rockefeller' Guilty of Kidnapping, Faces 15 Years

John Johnson — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:11:02 CDT

A Boston jury found the con man known as Clark Rockefeller guilty of kidnapping and assault today in the abduction of his young daughter last year, the Boston Herald reports. He faces up to 15 years in prison when he's sentenced this afternoon. The jury found him not guilty of...

Alaska Rep. Disavows Twitter Impostor

Kevin Spak — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:28:02 CDT

Whoever’s been masquerading as Rep. Don Young on Twitter is an impostor, Fox News reports. “Congressman Young is NOT currently using Twitter,” said a spokesman. “The messages posted seem to be the work of someone with a little too much free time on their hands.” Someone has been impersonating the...

Kidnap Dad Now 'Of Interest' in Calif. Murder

Kevin Spak — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:43:30 CDT

Los Angeles police have joined officials interrogating accused kidnapper Clark Rockefeller in Boston after declaring him a “person of interest” in the 1985 disappearance of a couple now believed dead. Remains believed to be John Sohus were discovered in 1994, and wife Linda is yet unaccounted-for; authorities think Rockefeller—likely...

'Rockefeller' Prints Linked to Calif. Murder Case

Nick McMaster — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:35:00 CDT

Fingerprints taken from kidnapper dad Clark Rockefeller reveal a connection to a decade-old California murder case, the Boston Globe reports. Prints taken after his arrest Saturday in Baltimore match those on a driver’s license application under another alias—which in turn is on a list of those wanted in connection...

'Rockefeller' Headed Back to Boston on Kidnap Charge

Nick McMaster — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:04:01 CDT

Clark Rockefeller waived his right to an extradition hearing in Baltimore today, the Boston Herald reports. The blueblood imposter may be arraigned in Boston as early as tomorrow morning, though authorities have until Aug. 15 to transfer him. Rockefeller—likely an alias—faces charges of felony parental kidnapping and assault....

Imposter Priest Confessor Nabbed at Vatican

Katherine Thompson — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:00:58 CDT

A phony priest was stopped just as he was about to hear confessions in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, the BBC reports. The man had on the right clothes and produced valid-looking priestly documents and Vatican ID—"but the expert eye of our personnel didn't need much to sense...