Epilogue:
Montgomery exposed in Australia

In November, 2004, on a whim, Donna Andersen typed the name "James Montgomery" into Google, the Internet search engine. After skimming through page after page of listings, she found one that read, "James Montgomery—New man at the helm."

She clicked on it, and found herself reading the same biographical information Montgomery had sent to her seven years earlier. Scrolling down the page, she saw his photo—definitely him, although he was heavier and what was left of his hair was white. Montgomery had taken a job as the manager of National Radio News, a radio network staffed by students at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, Australia.

Andersen contacted her Australian attorney. Finally, five years after her divorce, Montgomery was served with her judgment of more than $1.25 million. Montgomery did not pay, and Andersen forced him into bankruptcy.

Military impostor

In the meantime, Australian and New Zealand Military Impostors (ANZMI), an Australian organization that investigates and exposes military frauds, reviewed Montgomery's "military documents." (ANZMI was formerly called the Coalition of Patriots for Military Honour, or CPMH.) Every single one of them, they determined, was forged. They declared him a "major fraud".

"Montgomery gets the award for the wannabe who tried the hardest to perpetuate his fraud," the ANZMI wrote, "while also being the most incredibly stupid."

The ANZMI denied all his claims of service, rank and decorations. They posted Montgomery's fake Delta Force and Special Forces ID cards on the site. They posted a newspaper photo of him in a beret and camouflage jacket giving a speech during a Veteran's Day ceremony in New Jersey in 1995.

Media coverage

An Australian newspaper, the Daily Telegraph, found out about Montgomery's military fraud and published three articles. The first, on August 4, 2005, was headlined Meet Major Fraud and exposed him as an impostor. The newspaper wrote that "he admitted to making up the documents but said it was part of a 'secret project' in the US to demonstrate how easy it was to impersonate a war hero."

The next day, the Daily Telegraph published another story called Parading fake medals. It included a photo of Montgomery walking in an Anzac day parade on April 25, 2005, in Bathurst. Anzac Day honors veterans from Australia and New Zealand, and Montgomery marched in it wearing a green beret and medals on his chest. Local veterans were outraged.

Finally, on August 6, the Daily Telegraph published a story headlined March order for Major Fraud. It reported that because of his military misrepresentation, Montgomery was fired from his job at Charles Sturt University.

To get an idea of the extent of Montgomery's fraud, read the complete ANZMI report, which includes some of the newspaper articles.

More on James Montgomery

Montgomery's forged Victoria Cross citation posted on the Australian and New Zealand Military Impostors website. Scroll down to James Montgomery's name.

Montgomery's military claims debunked by the Australian and New Zealand Military Impostors.

Charles Sturt University announces Montgomery's resignation.