Alleged fake hero gets 16 months

A Conroe man who authorities said pretended to be an Army Ranger, part of an effort to befriend the family of a former Navy SEAL hero, has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Daniel Lee Marshall Jr. was sentenced last week in Judge Gray H. Miller’s court. Marshall pleaded guilty to the charge in September and could have been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

Federal prosecutors have said Marshall represented himself to be a Special Forces operator to get closer to the family of Marcus Luttrell, a Houston native whose story is portrayed in the book and movie “Lone Survivor.”

In 2005, when Luttrell was the sole survivor among a group of SEALs in a clash with Taliban fighters in Afghanistan and was temporarily missing, Marshall got close to the sailor’s family.

Five years later, Marshall was first accused of taking a pistol from the Luttrells’ ranch. About the same time, Rangers became suspicious of Marshall’s claims of military service.

Authorities who searched Marshall’s trailer found an Army dress uniform with ribbons he did not earn and a pickup with a Purple Heart license plate that he did not deserve. They also copied photos found on the Internet that show Marshall in a uniform with a Ranger patch.

Marshall did serve in the Army, authorities said, but only briefly and did not deploy overseas.

He was convicted in Brazoria County of forgery. As a felon, he was not legally allowed to buy firearms. In court, he admitted to having a .223-caliber military-style rifle and a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun.

During the search at his trailer, authorities found several guns and ammunition.