An American celebrated online and in the media has reportedly been outed as a hoaxer who aimed to get rich off his false image: A US military veteran who claimed battlefield victories as a volunteer fighter in Ukraine and gained fame through media interviews and dramatic Twitter posts was lying about his exploits all along to create a false image from which he could profit during and after the conflict.

James Vasquez, who accumulated more than 400,000 followers on Twitter and was regularly quoted by the Press – the likes of CNN and the New York Times, falsely claimed battlefield achievements as his own.

Citing allegations by four other foreign volunteers in Ukraine, the disclosure also confirmed through the Pentagon that Vasquez had lied about his military history when he claimed to have had combat deployments as a US Army sergeant in Iraq and Kuwait. As it turned out, he served as an electrical systems repairer in the Army Reserve and ended his stint there as a private.

Vasquez’s social media posts, purported to be about his exploits on the front lines, often went viral on social and mainstream (state) media. He bragged about capturing Russians and taking out tanks, was regularly interviewed by the news media and made catchy claims – including that he imagined the ‘punchable’ Tucker Carlson when preparing for battle. Such was his Press fame that others tried to cash in by using his name.

However, Vasquez was making up his claims by going to areas where battles had recently taken place, shooting videos with destroyed equipment and claiming achievements as his own, according to genuine combatants. In one case, he claimed on media that he was heading to Soledar, where intense fighting was reportedly raging. Alas, Ukrainian forces had retreated from the area days before.

The accusations against Vasquez apparently began to surface earlier this year. Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, an American volunteer who works in the media department of Ukraine’s Territorial Defence Forces, said in a March Twitter post that Vasquez could not have legally gone on combat missions because he didn’t have a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

‘I met James Vasquez three times for a total of about four hours,’ she told Business Insider. ‘During our last meeting, he gave himself up and confirmed what I had known since last summer, that he was never a member of the AFU.’

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Other fighters revealed that Vasquez bragged about becoming a millionaire when the conflict ends. One volunteer claimed, ’James said, and I quote, ‘I’m never gonna go back to work as a handyman. I’m probably never gonna have to work again after his war. I’m gonna be famous.’’

Vasquez sought donations, in some cases for a purported Ukraine charity called Ripley’s Heroes. He also allegedly leveraged the death of Ukrainian-born British fighter Viktor Yatsunyk by falsely claiming to have lost his friend. Canadian volunteer April Huggett said, ’His stolen valour knows no end.’

Business Insider was unable to reach Vasquez for comment on the allegations. He admitted to the New York Times in March that he had misrepresented his military record and had been kicked out of the US Army. ’I had to tell a million lies to get ahead,’ he said. You can share this story on social media:

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