AP Scribe Debunks HuffPo Blogger's War Tale

Media darling with lovable dog has sketchy lawsuit and criminal past
By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 4, 2010 8:33 AM CST
AP Scribe Debunks HuffPo Blogger's War Tale
Iraq veteran Luis Montalvan and actress Glenn Close attend the Puppies Behind Bars celebration titled Dog Tags: Service Dogs For Those Who've Served Us held at on November 17, 2008 in New York City.   (Getty Images)

Huffington Post blogger Luis Carlos Montalván started out as an anti-war liberal's dream: a decorated Iraq vet with a compelling war story, vocally opposed to the war and accompanied by a lovable golden retriever to stave off PTSD-related anxiety. But an AP reporter who's been digging into the self-promoting vet's war story says it doesn't hold water, and Gawker has turned up both a suspect lawsuit by Montalván and his criminal record.

Montalván says his PTSD stems from a 2003 incident in which Iraqi gang members tried to assassinate him for his attempts to crack down on crime; the AP reporter found evidence that he actually just scuffled with a drunk truck driver—and wasn't as badly injured as he claims. Then there's the $40 million suit he filed against McDonald's because employees "glared" at him and his service dog while he ate. And in 1999 he was charged with stalking and violating a restraining order.
(More Huffington Post stories.)

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