After hearing about this particular case from some friends, it made my stomach turn. This ‘fake special forces poser’ was rightly called out as a fake by these heroes, and this individual has the audacity to turn around and try to sue them for calling him out? Truly despicable…
My thoughts is that he does not have a chance with this case and that the ‘legions’ of special forces folks, veterans and supporters will all be squashing his pathetic efforts. His reputation is shot regardless of any legal actions taken. We will see how it goes and definitely check out the links in the press release below if you would like to read the back story on this. –Matt
To donate to the cause, here is an quick note on the process:
“If you would like to help offset the legal costs of certain individuals fighting these legal actions, it would be much appreciated.
Keep in mind you are not contributing to a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. This is NOT a charitable donation and NOT tax deductable.
This is a private paypal account of one the individuals who was served on this lawsuit.
This individual will in turn distribute the monies to various legal entities and others as required to cover the legal costs of certain individuals that have arisen due to these actions.
Once all legal matters have been resolved and legal costs are covered, if there are any monies left over, the individual will contribute the remaining funds to a military related charity.
Paypal account name rgrjoe175@aol.com”
The Facebook Page for the cause here.
(Check out SOFREP’s post on the matter and all of the comments.)
John Giduck.
Subject: Fake Green Beret Sues Military Heroes to Silence Their Criticism
12 July 2012
On June 11th 2012 a Colorado man, John Giduck, filed a SLAPP lawsuit in an effort to censor, intimidate and silence veterans by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism of him. (SLAPP: “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.”). Ironically, Mr. Giduck is suing some of the same veterans who exposed congressional candidate Ken Aden (Arkansas, 3d District) for his false claims as a Special Forces Soldier.
The veterans, several of whom are decorated special operations personnel, questioned Mr. Giduck’s claims to be a “Green Beret” and a “former Army Ranger.” Mr. Giduck has made such false claims repeatedly in promotional materials for law enforcement and military seminars. This link has a timeline of Mr. Giduck’s various activities and examples of his false biographical information uncovered on the web.
In these seminars, Mr Giduck advocates tactics, techniques and procedures that the veterans find to be fundamentally unsound and dangerous. Among them are:
–Installing knock-out gas delivery systems in public schools;
–Deploying armed teams of former Special Operations personnel in public schools as opposed to local law enforcement;
–Employing fire hoses to neutralize heavily-armed terrorists holding student hostages.
Mr. Giduck previously threatened veterans that he perceived as threats to his credibility, and he resorted to bullying legal tactics. As a response to Mr. Giduck’s bullying, veterans investigated his background and learned the following:
1. Mr. Giduck has been a practicing attorney in Colorado. One of his clients was Mrs. Donna Yaklich, a woman accused–and later convicted–of murdering her husband, a Pueblo PD Police Officer. Mr. Giduck had an affair with her after her husband’s death, and enjoyed a Caribbean holiday with her that was subsidized by her husband’s death benefits. Mr. Giduck’s legal fees were also paid from Dennis Yaklich’s death benefits. After the Pueblo PD issued a warrant for her arrest, Mrs. Yaklich returned, turned herself in, and retained better counsel after Mr. Giduck was forced to recuse himself from the case.
2. Despite multiple instances where Mr. Giduck claims a background in “Special Forces” or as an “Army Ranger,” Mr. Giduck never served in the military. He actually enlisted in the Army and failed out of basic training after 58 days; yet, over the course of years, allowed claims of him being a Special Forces Soldier to be publicly posted on advertising material and his very own website. Further, Mr. Giduck’s credentials as a “terrorism expert” are thin. Mr. Giduck has no practical experience or formal training in counter-terrorism aside from a recent PhD. earned from a reputable university. Mr. Giduck’s books have been derided by academic reviewers and genuine specialists in counter-terrorism.
3. Mr. Giduck publicly claims that he trained with the Russian Special Forces, known as Spetsnaz, and that he has connections to the FSB. The Russian FSB is the successor to the KGB from the Soviet era. Spetsnaz is a branch of the Russian GRU, the equivalent of our Defense Intelligence Agency. This claim alarmed those veterans who are still in government service. Personnel with active security clearances are required to report contact with such persons to their security and counter-intelligence sections. This obligation is mandatory, not optional.
Press release here.
Additional information is available here and here.