‘Army’ prank could land Ali G comic in US prison
THE comedian Sacha Baron Cohen could be jailed for up to a year for breaking the law by impersonating a military veteran in his new comedy show.
The British star – originally famed as Ali G – apparently disguised himself as an exserviceman in a wheelchair to meet former Republican vicepresidential candidate Sarah Palin.
The prank interview was for his new show, Who Is America?
Palin says that after becoming suspicious when Cohen suggested Chelsea Clinton was undergoing a sex change operation at taxpayer expense, she tore off her microphone and stormed out.
She has branded the star ‘evil, exploitative and sick’.
Her outraged supporters claim that Baron Cohen may have broken the Stolen Valour Act, which makes it a crime to lie about receiving military honours ‘with intent to obtain money, property, or other tangible benefit’, punishable by up to 12 months’ imprisonment.
Retired US Navy Seal Don Shipley, 57, of Virginia, who tracks down and exposes stolen valour frauds, said: ‘You can’t go around falsely claiming to be a disabled veteran. It’s offensive.’
Baron Cohen’s new show begins in the US tonight and goes out on Channel 4
tomorrow night.