Lisa Jane Phillips, a Meredith College student, regaled many with her heroic war adventures but the campus police chief smelled a scam. Phillips told glowing stories of missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, said she was a pilot, wore an Air Force captain's uniform with numerous medals and frequently left school for a few weeks at a time on a "mission." | Yeah, that has the fine ripe smell of a fish story. |
Frank Strickland, the campus police chief and a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, grew suspicious, especially about those two-week deployments to combat areas. He notified federal investigators. Phillips, 34, of Cary, N.C., was arrested earlier this month and indicted on 12 charges stemming from false impersonation of a U.S. military officer, CBS News said. The government said her stories were made up and the uniforms and medals she wore were not earned. Her claims led to her tuition and fees being waived at Meredith, a private women's college. Her free ride totaled $42,178. |