Marine veteran Kurt Harris met a man named Michael Manning at a gym in Salt Lake City, UT. Manning said he had also served as a Marine, and the two men became fast friends.
“We became friends on the shared bond of being in the military together,” Harris said.
Manning needed a place to stay and asked Harris if he could crash on his couch. Harris agreed, believing he was helping a friend and fellow Marine. The next morning Harris went outside to get into his car.
“I went to go get my car and it wasn't there,” Harris said.
His car, laptop, military uniform, and medals were all stolen.
“I opened up my Tupperware container and the first thing I saw that was missing was my dress blues that you get when you graduate from boot camp, and on those I had all my medals,” Harris said. “When those were gone, it just felt like the last decade was just robbed just right out from under me."
After he was robbed, Harris shared his story about Michael Manning on Facebook. Then the messages began to flood in. Manning has been doing this to people for ages it seemes, posing as a marine to take advantage of veterans and those who support the troops.
Manning never served in the military at all, he is a con artist.
“I really hope the cops find him before the thousands of angry veterans in Utah do, for his sake, because it wouldn't be a good thing for him,” Harris said.
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