|
On 21 May
2000 a Viet Nam Veterans counsellor with the Viet Nam Veterans
Counselling Service in Paramatta, Sydney rang Stevens to arrange
counselling services in Armadale, NSW, close to where Stevens was
residing at that stage. Stevens at this stage was residing
in Glen Innes, NSW. During the course of the
conversation the counsellor smelt a rat and on 24 May 2000 this
person contacted the DVA and advised them that "in this persons
opinion, Stevens was NOT a Viet Nam Veteran and that he needed
psychiatric evaluation. It was this advice that
finally saw an investigation into Stevens lengthy fraud of the DVA
take place.
As at 23
August 2000 Stevens had Fraudulently obtained DVA benefits and
treatment totalling AUD $60,204:00. This
amount was therefore removed from use by genuine Veterans in need,
by this bogus thief.
On 19 July
2000 at Palm Beach Police Station in Queensland Stevens was
interviewed and questioned about his supposed Viet Nam Service and
was told that he had falsely advised the DVA that he was a Veteran
. At this very time Stevens was attending an eight week post
traumatic stress disorder course funded by the DVA at the
Currumbin Hospital, Palm Beach, Queensland......more misuse of the
genuine Veterans entitlements.
Stevens was
now being backed into a corner. He then attempted to ring
and intimidate and offer death threats to the DVA staff.
Stevens no doubt had picked up a few "tricks" while attending this
PTSD course and decided to try the "psycho nutter"
Veteran
approach in threatening people from the safe distance of his
phone.
Stevens is a real hero
who, over the phone, will offer threats of violence but
when confronted by genuine Veterans cowers and quivers
and hides behind his wife's skirt. He proved this
when confronted in the Lismore Court house when Veterans
from all across Australian and New Zealand appeared to
see this war hero sentenced for stealing their benefits.
This hero did have the intestinal fortitude once to
punch a police officer when he
was questioned, however, this officer was a policewoman
and he punched her in the face and broke her jaw in several
places. A genuine hero who really showed his true colours at
this time. Stevens was charged with this on 20 April 1999
and was sentenced to six months imprisonment, again suspended for
a period of 18 months good behaviour. The law again letting
down the public and allowing this heroic bogus war Veteran woman
basher to walk free.
On 8 April
2000, less than twelve months into his suspended sentence, he was
again charged at Glenn Innes, NSW for malicious destruction of
property and assaulting a police officer. Again Stevens
walked free. This fellow has at this stage had a charmed,
protected life.
Stevens at
about this time joined an internet chat area for serving and
retired soldiers and proceeded to put his fictitious Military life
on the net for all to see. [see more on this below] He was quickly
picked out as a fraud and was promised some swift Veteran justice
by several on the site. Our hero then decided that it was
time to move his location again before he was paid a visit by a
real Veteran. Stevens kept up his masquerade and even
attempted to enlist the help of a genuine Veteran to gather
information he could use in court to attest to his fictitious
service. What a fatal mistake this was for our hero as the
friend he got off the net was a member of CPMH who threw him the
bait and he took it hook line and sinker.
To assist in
extracting information from this liar another CPMH member started
to email Stevens at his email address here vetssin@hotmail.com
pulling apart his claims of service. He would then
reply to his "friend" seeking sympathy. This
information in turn was sent to the other member and the
circle of entanglement had Stevens tripping over his own
lies and allowed CPMH to always know where he was living
and his phone details. The email address was still
active as at the date this page was placed on the internet, 14
November 2003, so please feel free to email him and express your
feelings with him. If he offers violence in his return
correspondence then we would be happy to give you his home
location details.
He will never
be able to hide from the Veterans he has stolen so much from and
if he didn't have genuine PTSD before we can only hope we can
contribute to his getting it now so that he gets to know exactly
what it is all about. Read on and you will see why Veterans need
to always know where this fellow is. We must ensure that he
never has the ability to infiltrate the DVA or any other form of
Government assistance scheme again.
He is a
bludger who is not prepared to work for an honest living and will
use any means available to prey on the system for handouts.
We will ensure that he is not capable of doing this in the future
by monitoring his every move and ensuring the Veterans in his
neighbourhood know where he is and what he is doing no matter
where he may attempt to move to.
Stevens was convicted on 23 October 2003, of stealing from
the Government [DVA] and is now only required to pay the
original sum back plus a slap on the wrist fine of
$3,000 for all the trouble he has caused.
The punishments in Australia must be
reviewed to stop people such as Stevens walking away with a smirk
on his face.........and nothing else.
To our way of thinking this wannabe should have been
sentenced to ten years in prison, which is the maximum
penalty permitted in such a case, to both punish an
unscrupulous thief and to deter other wannabe’s from
following the same modus operandi.
After reading this story please respond with your
thoughts on this matter to the site through the
information@anzmi.net area.
Your thoughts and comments minus your personal details
will be collated and forwarded to the appropriate
authorities in the hope that it will open their eyes and
show them what a disgrace these people are to our
community.
Stevens’ claims of service in Viet Nam as a medic cum
computer expert are totally unbelievable to anyone who
had ever served in the Australian Army at the time.
On a Military based chat site, he claimed to have been a
member of the Citizens Military Force, CMF, and from
there, posted directly to the Jungle Training Unit prior
to departure to Viet Nam. He had no service in the
Australian Regular Army, ARA, in Australia so
therefore there are no records that may be checked
so he claimed. One record we did find shows him
as having served with the CMF in the Medical Corps,
1966. He was in this unit just long
enough to learn how to tie his boot laces.
While being questioned as to his supposed service in
Viet Nam he was very vague as to the positioning of
Battalions at Nui Dat, of course
he is vague because he’d never been there, and
all the while fingered his “Only Memento” of his Viet Nam
war service. Unfortunately for this wannabe this memento
was an Infantry hat badge, he didn’t even realise
that the Medical Corps had a completely different hat
badge.
Stevens claims to have been attached to 1 ATFHQ, Nui
Dat, as a medic and then attached to 1 RAR and 4 RAR,
again as a medic. While with one of these Battalions he claims he was wounded but
remained in the field, he dug shrapnel from his hand
with a safety pin two months after the event. The man
whose identity he stole was wounded around this time. Is this coincidental or has he
researched the man who's identity he has stolen?
This is a trait of the bogus Veteran.
The designation, 1 ATFHQ, is not correct and this
mistake would not be made by anyone who served in the
unit.
Stevens is a
convicted liar and thief but we should look at other
units he claims to have served with.
Further claims.
Detached to the US 187th Airborne Brigade. He claimed
being someone who could teach the 187th to do other than
use uphill bayonet charges. He also claims to have been
a computer expert working on Honeywell and IBM machines
for the Americans at this time. He made mention of
visiting a Fire Base south-east of Hue on the road to
Hill 937 aka Dong Ap Bai (sic) He didn’t use the name
Hamburger Hill but any student of the Viet Nam War
would know that the first two names refer to this hill.
He said he wasn’t involved in the battle but the mere
mention of this place conjures up images of valiant
service. He used a deprecating method of referring to
his service as a non-combatant which was calculated to
add credibility to his derring-do stories.
Just one of the problems with his story was that the
US 187th Airborne Brigade did not exist. There was however, the 187th Infantry
Battalion, Airmobile, attached to 101st Airborne
Brigade.
Stevens goes on to claim he was detached to the II ARVN Ranger Group C. This
unit did not exist either. There was the 2nd ARVN
Rangers, no Group C. His supposed duties in this
phantom unit are unclear.
Detached to 3 SOG. Stevens was again a computer expert.
This unit did not exist either, maybe this
impostor was inferring MACVSOG but was being clever
again in not using correct unit designations that can be
easily checked. Or is the truth
of the matter here the fact that this bogus Veteran
really had no idea what he was talking about?
Earlier last year he used the codename "Mad Charlie"
in messages to an Army related website where he was
“searching” for friends he said he served with. In the
main these names were fictitious or the names of
deceased people.
He stated that his service records post 1967 are
“Locked up, can’t be accessed” an old, familiar tune!
What he fails to say here is that he was that brazen that he went to the
Central Army Records Office, Melbourne, Victoria, to try to convince them that
they had "lost" his Military Records.
Unfortunately for Stevens the Army have very good
records and he was told to his face that he was an
impostor and to go away and think about what he was
doing.
He said he is known as Mad Charlie because he has an
I.Q. of 160 and used to sign off email messages with
“DING HAO” which he later said is Chinese for good luck.
Yes, the words are Chinese but they mean “VERY GOOD” not
“Good Luck”……..160 IQ ?
Yeah, right.
This case was initially investigated by CPMH after a
Veteran reported him to us.
We ensured that Stevens appeared in a local
newspaper as a bogus Veteran. We made sure
that our information was brought to the attention of the
Today Tonight TV program and the Department of Veterans Affairs pursued the
case with the Director of Public Prosecutions, [DPP],
carried it further and obtained a court conviction.
Prior to this conviction finally
being obtained on 23 October 2003, Stevens was ordered
to appear in court on several occasions. He
failed to appear at court each time and this was duly
reported in the Tweed Heads Local Newspapers.
Angry
Veterans attended the Tweed Heads Magistrates court on
several occasions to see this miscreant and to watch him
get convicted for stealing the identity and repatriation
benefits of a genuine Veteran. His failure to
appear was seen to be upsetting the magistrate immensely
and this was detected by the Veterans in the gallery.
Was this also detected by Stevens legal representative
and was this why the case was moved to the Lismore court
rooms? I guess the answer to this will never be
known. Stevens was then alerted to
the fact that the local Veterans were onto him. He
packed up all his possessions and moved to NSW.
Interestingly he purchased a property at Bega, NSW, for just under the
amount of money he had defrauded the government for.
Finally on appearing in the Magistrates court in Lismore NSW in
August 2003, Stevens pleaded guilty to
impersonating a Veteran and claiming a total AUD $64,200:00 in benefits
from the Department of Veterans Affairs. This
guilty plea effectively removed all chances of witnesses
for the DPP to be put on the stand. However
Stevens lawyer, who is a genuine Viet Nam Veteran, applied to
withdraw the guilty plea after it had been lodged and
applied for a Psychological assessment of Stevens to be
done under the mental health provision of the Crimes Act
section 20 BQ. This section we now refer to
as the "Klinger clause" . It was reported in the
Lismore Newspapers as the article below
This
conviction was based on Steven’s confession in court of
his guilt, so the witnesses lined up to testify to his
lies were not required to provide their evidence. Some
of those witnesses had travelled some distance and were
in frail health due to their genuine service.
Their evidence would have been damning to
the case but the cunning of the defence lawyer avoided them being
called.
Stevens subsequently appeared in court on 11th August
2003 for sentencing, but then said that his previous
plea of guilty was obtained "under duress" and went on to
claim being of "unsound mind". The witnesses, who could
have presented the damning evidence, were now not in the
court to provide the Magistrate with the facts, so he
had little option but to postpone the sentencing. Again angry
Veterans appeared in
the Lismore Court to eyeball this thief of honour.
The tension could be sensed by all in the court
surroundings and on a couple of occasions Veterans had
to be restrained from carrying out their own form of
justice. Stevens, the whole time in the waiting
room, trembled and perspiration ran down through the fear
seen on his face. Why would a genuine Veteran be
scared to be in a room with brothers? All
Veterans present could see through the "Klinger Clause"
he had presented. The majority of the
Veterans present had been diagnosed with PTSD and were
prone to exploding at the slightest indication. Stevens had gained this information on his
"PTSD course" and would have been fully aware of how quickly any
one of these Veterans could have lost their cool and bashed him
right there in the relative safety of the courtroom waiting area. He remained very close
to his wife, possibly for her protection against the
Veterans, while waiting to be called into the court.
However the instilled discipline these men had obtained
while serving was still present and even after the case
was adjourned yet again Stevens managed to walk out
without damage. It was noted that he could look at
nothing but the carpet as he walked between the ranks of
the disgruntled diggers. He is a true hero.
It is difficult not to come to the conclusion that the
“guilty” plea entered was calculated to prevent the
witnesses being heard, and then when they were out of
the picture, the plea was changed via the “Klinger
Clause” to allow a “bleeding heart” defence. Stevens
isn’t smart enough to have figured that out (160 IQ or
not) and it has the feel of a clever defence from one
who knows the DPP and DVA.
At the hearing held 23 October 2003 he was convicted
and sentenced under the Crimes Act 20BQ (Psych) , what
we refer to as the “Klinger Clause”. The sentence was
for a two year custodial sentence,
subsequently suspended conditional on Stevens
following a reporting regime to local mental health
officials and re-paying the stolen sum back to the
Commonwealth.
During this protracted stage, we refrained from
presenting this case on the website to allow judicial
processes to proceed unhindered and avoid any possible
suggestion of vigilante justice. Stevens has now, with
much assistance, beaten the formal system. This so called "Psych" case then proceeded
to email his Veteran friend and brag about beating the system.
Below is that email. Again the CPMH member who
"befriended" him extracted details of his whereabouts and his
current location.
----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Robert Stevens" <vetssin@hotmail.com>
> >To:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
> >Subject: Re: Heading East
> >Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 15:53:35 +1000
> >
> >G'day XXXXXXXXXXXXXX,
> >
> >Great to hear you're fit to travel; it's a long trip, but
should be
> >enjoyable in short hops. As for accommodation; we don't have a
great house
> >yet, but plenty of space and power to hook up to, if you'd like
to save a
> >little money. Our shower is a little limited, but I might be
able to get
> >the gas connected to our new , better shower in the carport by
the 28th.
> >LPG hot water system, and all plumbing done, but no gas, 'cause
no money.
> >Our phone is (02)XXXXXXXX or we're on Optus after 8.00
p.m. free for
> >twenty minutes on 04212XXXX or XXX.
Travelling through Bega?
Then contact us for his phone numbers so you can have a chat
> >Alternatively, the caravan parks. 'Phone number at
Kalaru (five minutes
> >from beach) is (02)XXXXXXXX or Merimbula (next to beach) 02
XXXXXXXX
> >Pambula (slightly inland from Merimbula) 02 XXXXXXXX. These
are cooler
> >than Bega. Bega park no. is 02 XXXXXXXX.
> >Supposed to see the ticker specialist on 19/11, for six month
check-up;
> >feel like I'm slowly getting better with less stress from
the court jester.
> >
> >Ended up having to put my hand up for incorrect info. on DVA
application;
> >then we all walk. The lady prosecutor was taken off the case
after the
> >July hearing fiasco outside the court; and they sent a nice,
young male
> >negotiator. I think he was a bit terrified of the uninformed
rent-a-crowd
> >that came down for the hearing. I wouldn't blame him; and I
put my bit in
> >by saying to him that I expected a quiet and civilised court,
in my best
> >meaningful voice.
> >
> >I'm supposed to see a shrink down here for the next two years;
but the team
> >has already said they don't think I'm loony. Curses, missed
out again!
> >
> >SWMBO says I have to be a very good boy, and keep my nose
clean.
> >
> >She has some rocket (lettuce) planted, and salvaged the pot
plants and
> >trees, which have been sadly neglected over winter. We've
planted twelve
> >Red Cedars (the real cedars, not that Western rubbish), and are
slowly
> >sorting out the yard.
> >
> >One day we'll even get around to building a house.
> >
> >O.K. Give us a ring when you get close, and we'll sort out a
meeting point.
> >
> >Have a good trip and relax.
> >
> >Best,
> >
> >Merle and Rob.
Fair question. How did this person apply for and
obtain D.V.A. benefits just by claiming a name change in
1976 from Ronald Charles Seivers to Robert Charles
Stevens using a stolen Discharge Certificate belonging
to Ronald Richard Sievers.?
We’ll lay out the names. Would you be fooled by this?
Robert Charles Stevens….Says his name was changed from,
Ronald Charles Seivers…..and then fraudulently used
documents belonging to,
Ronald Richard Sievers…..to gain a DVA White card and
then go on to apply for a TPI.
Look at the surnames alone. SEIVERS. (fake)….SIEVERS.
(genuine)
Could this thief have used a typewriter
computer or pen to make an alteration on official
documents? Of course he could
have. Its very easy to do and he has shown
he has a flair for using the computer on the Military
chat site and in emails he has exchanged with others..
Sievers….to …..Stevens. (the “i” becomes a “t” and the “r” becomes
an “n”)
We can’t even begin to imagine how the incorrect middle
name was not noticed by DVA. Charles and Richard aren’t
even close except that they both contain 7 letters.
So how did this impostor pass muster at D.V.A.?
Why wasn’t a cursory search made in the nominal roll?
The difference in middle and surnames is apparent to all
but it would appear not to DVA at the time.
Why wasn’t change of name documentation asked for?
Why weren’t service records checked? It is believed that one of the
witnesses for the prosecution, had he been called, could
have verified that there were no records available for
Stevens for Viet Nam.
We will probably never, never, know.
What do you feel about this, you genuine Veterans who
are having difficulties in obtaining your rightful
compensation? You were made to stand in line while this
liar and impostor had his claims attended to. There was
a lot of money allocated to his welfare that could have
gone to genuine Veterans. Between
1996, when this all began and now, how many of our mates
have taken their own lives because they have been
shunned by the lengthy process taken by the Department
in repatriating genuine Veterans?
Stevens is now a convicted fraud and thief. He
was handed down a two year prison sentence which was
suspended. He is required to pay $67,000, basically
being a refund of the money he stole from genuine
Veterans, be of good behaviour for two years while
attending a Bega Psychiatrist and must notify the Psych
if he leaves the Bega area.
We don’t feel that this is sufficient punishment nor a
deterrent to others who would follow the same crooked
path. We do not regard him as a former serviceman gone
bad, but rather a civilian who wormed his way into the
ranks of Veterans talking the talk of the Veteran.
His photo and story will remain on this site for the
term of his natural life. His whereabouts will
also be constantly monitored and updated on here.
Due to our policy regarding civilians,
no apologies to the Veteran Community will be accepted
and removal of his details from this site will not be
considered.
Stevens wrote in an email, “I grow old and the world grows darker
around me, every day new places, every day new places.”
(sic)
How prophetic.
Believe us when we say that there are others like him
out there, the liars and thieves that are receiving
compensation benefits that could have gone to genuine
people. We are well aware of
another, a Citizens Military Forces Officer, later
Army Reservist, who has never been in the Regular Army
but is in receipt of an 80% Veterans Affairs pension and
was issued a set of genuine Viet Nam medals on the
orders of a Regular Army Officer. This
person has ripped our system off to the tune of
approximately $400,000 dollars to date and possibly may
have gotten away with it forever except for the fact
that he has now retired and decided it was time to apply
for the full TPI benefits.
A plus here for the DVA
assessor who saw through this persons supposed TWO
WEEKS service in Viet Nam. CPMH have
been tracking this fellow now for a long period of time
and have supplied a lot of information to the
Departments fraud squad to have this fellow charged.
Again we will sit in the background until his case is
dealt with by the courts and then we will see what the
outcome is. The interesting aside to this case is
that the same Lawyer that defended Stevens in now
defending this bogus Veteran. One would have
thought that the fact that the lawyer is a Veteran would
have indicated a conflict of interests and he would have
given the case away.
We have some more tagged
and they will be bagged.
Until the Government does something about the
willingness of the Federal Police, Director of Public
Prosecutions and DVA to take a harder line with these
frauds, what is presented on this website and by Today
Tonight is just about all you will ever know about them.
This lowlife, Stevens, is now a resident of Bega, on the south
coast of New South Wales. If he
choses to move from this location we will be advised by
alert Veterans and this page will be updated
accordingly.
He has escaped a lengthy prison sentence with the aid of
a solicitor who is a Veteran and was a TPI until he was
rehabilitated and found that he was able to work again.
Several Viet Nam Veterans attended this hearing on
23/10/03 and voiced their displeasure at the outcome to
this solicitor. Stevens was also challenged by an
enraged Veteran at his previous court appearance when
another large group attended wearing all their
decorations and awards.
As a final note, think of this.
The DVA Officer who originally granted benefits to this
impostor thinking that he or she was doing the right
thing by a disturbed Veteran is probably no longer a DVA
Officer.
Procedures for the processing of claims will probably be
tightened up if they haven’t been already and genuine
Veterans will find it even harder to gain DVA
assistance. You ex-service people who are waiting on
decisions will possibly have to wait a lot longer than
what would have been the normal time and you’re going to
have some tougher questions to answer.
Should you find yourself in this position, you can thank Robert
Charles Stevens of Bega for this. If passing through his area
drop in for a beer and thank him personally. He claims
PTSD so it may as well be kept alive. His address
will also be on the electoral roll, or if you have a look in
the white pages on line, look for M. Stevens, not R.
Stevens. [He
is hiding behind his wife's skirt again.] Bega and
you can ring and have a chat.
With regard to Stevens’ supposed diminished
responsibility due to his mental state. A CPMH team
member offered this piece of sound advice to those who
let him off so lightly.
If he can do the crime with this condition, he can do
the time with this condition.
As a finale
at the moment to this poor excuse for a human being's story, the
email below was just received. Please note the yellow highlighted
area below. Failure of the judicial system to recover
this money and the Veteran community will make no mistake about
Stevens paying it. After all it is their money so it is in
their interest to see it recovered. Visits may have to be
arranged by Veterans to make house calls each payday to ensure
that the money is given back to DVA. Personally
escorted visits to the bank are not out of the question here as
genuine TPI Veterans have time on their hands to ensure that
this will happen and would welcome any resistance by Stevens in
not complying.
> >From: "Robert Stevens" <vetssin@hotmail.com>
> >To:
> >Subject: Travellin' East.
> >Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003
13:46:05 +1000
> >Hi, XXXXXX,
> >Gotta let you know more
detail about the court case.
> >We finally settled on me
pleading guilty to mistakes on my
> >application form; and they
want a refund of $45k in medical costs..
> >At the last hearing, we
were on our knees financially, and Merle blew
> >up and walked out on me in
the middle of the fight.
> >So,
I settled; and walked away with a big debt hanging over my head;
> >one which DVA will
never recover.
> >From my point of view, I'm
not happy, but have to accept the unacceptable;
> >and not get too worked up
about it. Starting back on cardiac rehab
> >next week, now that the
stress level has dropped.
> >The point is, XXXXXX; you
would not be the first Digger to turn his
> >back on me over this
issue. It was claimed that I used another Vet's
> >gold card and name; which
was not the case; and a lot of hostility has come my way
> >over this, and also my
solicitor and the Public Prosecutor copped
> >flak as well. So, in the
prevailing situation; should you decide not to see us or
> >talk to us, I will
understand; and I have no wish to place anyone in a
compromising situation.
It would be nice to see you; but we felt you should know the
> >situation before
committing yourself. Apart from that, have a good trip; and
take it easy.
> >Regards,
> >Bob and Merle.
It should be noted here that
his "friend" has all his home address details and should he call
in on his proposed trip he just might get to meet another of the
"Diggers who will show hostility his way" as he put it above.
Heed your own words Mr Stevens.
The lesson to be learned here
for all bogus Veterans. Take off the unearned awards,
stay out of our compensation system and Ex Service Organisations
because not one Viet Nam Veteran was de programmed after the end
of hostilities and we were all trained "to capture and hold ground
and seek out and destroy the enemy." Bogus Veterans are the
new age enemy.
VIDEO OF
STEVENS AS HE LIES TO CHANNEL 7 TODAY TONIGHT PROGRAMME AND CLAIMS
HE IS A VETERAN
Video Streaming On This Page Requires Real One
Player
Download
Here If Required
or Download
and Watch a Windows Media Video(WMV) Copy Here(4.8M)
This site page will be
constantly updated with any and all facts reported by
Veterans that are considered in the interest of all
genuine Veterans.
STEVENS, YOUR SAY
As someone who tried to serve his
country with honour in Vietnam i can only voice my
disgust at what this person has done and the totally
inadequate penalty .Reading his emails i reach the
conclusion that he feels no remorse and feels hard done
by and will not attempt to repay the money fraudulently
received. Matter of fact he seem quite proud of himself.
Having had a close family member murdered i am once
again astounded by the way the justice system protects
the criminal and ignores the rights of the victim and
society. I have friends in Bega who will be glad to
extract some rough justice from this scumbag if
required. Keep up the great work you are doing exposing
these scum and let us hope the judiciary will start
imposing proper sentences.
Regards
XXXXXXXXX
ex 2 R A R /N Z 70 / 71
NB: CPMH does not condone
violence towards these people. Monitoring of his
whereabouts and reporting to the authorities is
warranted and should be conducted by concerned Veterans
and the general public.
|
STEVENS Robert Charles
