KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — A jury has awarded $1.7 million in damages to a former Marine in a stolen valor and fraud case.

The Daily Inter Lake reports a Flathead District Court on Tuesday awarded the sum to Donald Kaltschmidt Jr. after finding Laron Shannon of Kalispell liable for fraud and negligent misrepresentation in a case involving an oilfield services company in which Kaltschmidt was a silent investor.

Kaltschmidt, who served in the United States Marine Corps, sued Shannon, Elizabeth Shannon and Oilfield Warriors, LLC, in 2014, alleging Laron Shannon had misrepresented himself as an active U.S. Marine when he “never actively served in the United States Marine Corps or in any other military service branch.”

Court records show no service record could be found for Shannon.

Shannon, who represented himself during the trial, could not be reached for comment.

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Information from: Daily Inter Lake, http://www.dailyinterlake.com

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