VENTURA : Man Admits Posing as Army Officer

An Oxnard man admitted Tuesday in federal court that he used a phony military identification card and authentic-looking uniform to enter the Naval Construction Battalion Center at Port Hueneme during the Gulf War.

Keven Empey, 34, admitted his guilt in U.S. Magistrate Court in Ventura in exchange for entrance into a diversion program that will erase the charges from his record if he obeys all laws for the next 12 months. Empey also may be required to undergo counseling if federal court officials say it is necessary.

Empey smiled upon leaving the courtroom Tuesday but declined to comment, saying he had an appointment. His lawyer, Keith Carter, said Empey was headed off to be interviewed for work as a movie extra.

U.S. Navy officials say Empey posed as an Army veteran and formed a small group of volunteers, some of them Army veterans, into the fictitious U.S. Army Auxiliary Forces. The group’s goal, according to documents that Empey circulated among the members, was to produce volunteers to augment U.S. armed forces on the home front during the Gulf War.

Authorities say Empey provided false military identification cards to nine civilians and helped them get onto the Seabee base. The 10 studied military tactics for three hours in a classroom there before they were discovered and arrested by base security.

Last month, Navy prosecutors dropped charges of using false identification and impersonating officers against the nine volunteers because they believed they were on the base for good reason and cooperated with the investigation.