A New Berlin man accused of impersonating a federal agent and circulating bogus Purple Heart certificates is asking for a second psychiatric competency exam as his attorney prepares a not-guilty-by-reason-of-mental-disease defense. The request follows months of incidents that local police say included the man appearing at traffic stops in tactical gear and flashing fake credentials, and it now sends the case back before a Waukesha County judge with a July hearing on the calendar.
According to TMJ4, court records and body-camera footage show the man first approached a Muskego officer on Jan. 25, 2025, at the scene of a vehicle that had struck a deer near Racine Avenue and Cardinal Drive. He was wearing a hat marked "CBP," a green tactical vest with a Border Patrol patch, handcuffs and a handgun. The outlet reports he later turned up at a New Berlin traffic stop dressed in similar gear and admitted he had created fake documents online, and officers arrested him after what they described as a high-risk stop.
As detailed by WISN, prosecutors say that during plea talks the defendant tried to use digitally created Purple Heart certificates that claimed he had earned two Purple Hearts for wounds in Iraq in 2014 and 2015. A division of criminal investigation agent and Marine Corps personnel records reviewed by the station found the certificates were fraudulent and showed the man did not serve in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom, instead listing a deployment to Okinawa, Japan.
Court Fight Over Competency
According to The Freeman, defense attorney Peter Wolff moved in December 2025 to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect and later requested a second competency report following an initial psychiatric evaluation. Court filings indicate the state did not challenge the first doctor’s conclusions, and prosecutors have since added charges in a second case that include bail jumping, making false statements about military honors and obstructing an officer. A hearing in that matter is set for July 10, 2026.
Charges And Potential Penalties
Earlier counts stemming from the January incidents include identity theft and impersonating a peace officer, charges that could together carry more than a decade in prison if fully prosecuted, TMJ4 reports. WISN also notes prosecutors added a count for making a false statement about military service tied to the disputed Purple Heart documents, a claim that state investigators say was backed up by misspellings and other signs that the certificates had been digitally created.
The judge must now decide whether to order another competency exam before the criminal cases move ahead, a ruling that will help determine whether the insanity defense proceeds or the matters are put on a trial track. For the moment, authorities say the allegations, from fake federal gear to counterfeit military awards, have triggered an unusual mix of criminal and administrative inquiries in Waukesha County.
