Recently, a 29-year-old man in Palestine, Texas who lied about his military service was sentenced to eight years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Note: Following an unsuccessful run for county commissioner in 2008, the Texas Ethics Commission assessed Nick Ramus a fine for violations of the state election code. Ramus claimed the complaint filed against him was unfounded.
News Release
Hays Community Action Network
Contact person: Charles O’Dell
512.789.3505
Nick Ramus/Statesman
Hays County, Tx – HaysCAN filed a criminal complaint Friday July 15 against San Marcos resident Nickolas George Ramus, Jr., alleging multiple instances of aggravated perjury, including lying about his military service.The complaint was filed with the Hays County District Attorney, Sherri Tibbe.
“Lying about your military service dishonors those who serve, and is vigorously prosecuted in Texas,” wrote Charles O’Dell, President of Hays Community Action Network (HaysCAN). “Nick Ramus clearly has lied about his military service,” said O’Dell.
Recently, a 29-year-old man in Palestine, Texas who lied about his military service was sentenced to eight years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Ramus, who received an Administrative Discharge in 1971 after only eleven months in the U.S. Navy, claimed under oath in court and in a sworn deposition that he held the rank of Machinist Mate, was in training for Machinist Mate Nuclear, and had received FBI top secret clearance after turning 19 and receiving his Administrative Discharge from the Navy. These claims are all false.
HaysCAN also documented instances of aggravated perjury by Ramus in his unsuccessful 2003 pro se civil suit against Chartwells, Inc., alleging age and race discrimination. Ramus was demoted on January 18, 2001 for issues of personal hygiene, insubordination and laziness. Ramus claims he is Native American but indicated on his sworn 1984 divorce petition in Caldwell County that he was “white.”
In his 2008 Deadly Conduct trial (his conviction in Hays County Court at Law is currently on appeal at Third Court of Appeals in Austin), and in an August 14, 2007 Hays County Commissioners Court hearing regarding a contested permit, Ramus testified that he "was one of (the) top 17 chefs of America invited to participate in the Reagan/Bush inaugural and one of the first three chefs in the Reagan White House.” Ramus also told commissioners they could read about his achievements in the "1992 Who’s Who in Rising Young Americans.”
In 1982, Ramus was hired as a cook at Southwest Texas State (now Texas State University). Before that he kicked around California before coming to Caldwell County, Texas.
It’s not clear if the Hays County District Attorney's Office will investigate or prosecute Ramus who is known to have connections with local elected county officials.
Go to www.hayscan.org for a full copy of the complaint.
37 comments:
As a disabled Vietnam veteran myself, several years ago I looked into Mr. Ramus' military background and could find nothing that substantiates his claims.
I contacted various local (San Marcos) and national veterans groups and none had any info on the man's military history.
I sent Mr. Ramus an email asking him about his military claims and I received a response from a woman who claimed to be his attorney. She was very polite, but offered no actual facts to affirm Mr. Ramus' military claims, other than verbally validating them without any facts or further information.
My database searches on several military sites also provided no information on Mr. Ramus.
I don't know the man personally and I don't wish him ill; however, Mr. Ramus should NOT be permitted to spout such blatant lies about his supposed military background and his invalid claim to be a disabled veteran.
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"connections with local elected county officials" must be code for Will Conley & Linda Kinney.
What is all this silliness about lying? When did that get to be a crime? If telling lies is a crime then Billy C. and BHO ought to be in for life. That guy in Palestine should have his case overturned right away. Most veterans are not heroes especially the ones from the Viet Nam War since most were drafted and only fought to stay alive while waiting to get out. I'm a vet and I don't brag about it like some do. There wasn't anything worth fighting for over there anyway. LBJ should have been jailed for escalating the damn thing and getting more people killed for no good reason.
So, a big deal, huh? Is that what you taught your children, that it's okay to bullshit people if it serves your end?
I'm a vet also and it burns me up if a con man says he served in the military and he's really just full of crap.
Big Deal, you have lost your self-respect and respect for others if this doesn't bother you.
I was in Nam and I don't talk about it. In fact, I try to forget I was ever there.
But I do despise a person who lies, cheats, bullies and tries to con his fellow beings to serve his own purposes. It's the same reason I despise most politicians.
If I ever met this man Ramus and he lied to me about his "service" I would probably kick him in his berries.
So, just because you have lost your sensibilities and respect for truth don't try to dismiss or ridicule ours.
Do you comprehend the term "perjury" Mr. Big Deal? It IS a crime.
“Lying about your military service dishonors those who serve, and is vigorously prosecuted in Texas,” wrote Charles O’Dell, President of Hays Community Action Network (HaysCAN)" said O’Dell.
This article and Mr. O'Dell is very misleading! The guy in Palestine was convicted of "Perjury" for lying in a hearing while under oath, not for lying about his Service although that was the subject of the lies. You can lie about your Military Service or anything else, all you want and you will not have committed a crime, if you are not under oath in court of law or attempting a fraud.
Nice try, O'Dell, but no cigar.
How does this lawsuit fall within the Mission Statement of HaysCAN :
"Our mission is to observe and participate in governmental decision processes that impact the public interest, and to inform, educate and assist those citizens wishing to participate more fully in the public decisions that impact their daily lives, their property values, and the quality of life in their communities.
We strive to provide clear and accurate information to help Hays County residents understand the actions taken by their elected officials."
O'Dell = OCD -> Ramus
I believe HaysCan got involved with Ramus when asked by a neighbor of Ramus for support re: trash and septic spills into her year from Ramus'. At least, that's how I think it started.
As for perjury, Ramus consistently commits perjury when he provides testimony about himself during a court session. As such, the man is guilty but no one has held him accountable for his actions.
I believe that is one main reason why HaysCan became involved and why it [Charles O'Dell] has a valid point.
As a local resident I have followed the issues re: Mr. Ramus and I applaud Mr. O'Dell for his dedication and perseverence for the community good.
“You can lie about your Military Service or anything else, all you want and you will not have committed a crime, if you are not under oath in court of law or attempting a fraud.”
Exactly.
Ramus lied while under oath in a federal pro se suit that he brought against his employer (dismissed), and while under oath in his Deadly Conduct trial. In both instances he was lying under oath in order to affect the outcome of a legal proceeding.
I’m amazed at those who make excuses for Ramus’s perjury. It doesn’t speak well for law and order or justice in Hays County.
To Anon, July 19, 6:39 AM:
Get your facts straight before you attack Mr. O'Dell. Ramus DID lie under oath.
Click on the link in the main article to see the complaint filed with the DA, Sherri Tibbe. The complaint is many pages long, but just the first 6 or 7 pages deal with O'Dell's charges -- the other pages are backup data. O'Dell outlines the instances in which Ramus did lie UNDER OATH.
Charles, it doesn't say much about people in general these days.
"It's okay because everyone lies." is a favorite saying.
Justification abounds for poor decisions, bad judgment and irresponsibility.
Just once I would love to hear someone admitting his or her guilt upfront and taking responsibility for their actions. That's what we should be teaching our children to teach their children.
But no! Tpday everyone is innocent and it is "in" to lie, cheat, steal and do anything to win. And certainly to do anything for money and greed.
We're all part of a sick society that gets worse all the time.
Keep up the good work, Charles. Don't listen to the deviants.
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Great comments from Peter.
My two cents is that pathological lying has become commonplace in politics, most prominently at the Federal and State level. At those levels we see our elite corporate and government liars - when caught engaging in larcenous big money corruption - paying out legal settlements "without admitting guilt."
Moreover, these corporate crooks - supported by their compliant congressional mascots - pay settements of $2 million when they made $20 million on the malfeasance. We saw this pattern with the insider trading scandals after the tech bubble recession after the turn of the century.
In other words, if you have money, and you pay enough to our politicians, no one goes to jail anymore.
Worse than the money, however, is the way such moral decay has permeated our national personal value systems.
Lying is OK? What a pathetic rationalization for a supposedly "exceptional" nation.
Instead of "O'Dell = OCD -> Ramus", how about:
Honesty = Integrity + Sanity = Problem Solving.
Good points, Rock-et Man, especially re: the big payouts WITHOUT professing ANY guilt. As I stated before, no one admits to guilt anymore or to take responsibility for their actions. Everyone seems to plead they are innocent and/or a victim. Yeah, right.
Here at the county level for many years we witnessed politicians and the courts dismiss issues and/or cover-up actions for one another.
It has gotten a bit better more recently, but it still is going on... e.g., let's see what DA Tibbe is going to do re: the upcoming HaysCan vs. Ramus complaint. Will it go nowhere? Into the trash bin?
Does Tibbe believe, as does Big Deal on this blog, that lying [perjury] goes on all the time and doesn't mean squat?
Stay tuned, folks.
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We have your buddy, Bill Clinton to thank for this decay of morality when he perjured himself about Monica Lewinski, under oath as I remember. We also discovered that lying about sex is okay and that oral sex is not sex and now the school kids are into it big time. Herpes is an epidemic and lives have been ruined.
It appears that Ramus did committ perjury, but seriously Charles, you need to give it up for your own sanity if you have any left. Your obsession with him will harm you more than it will him, I can promise you that.
The picture of Ramos makes me think of the word:
"forgetaboutit."
"This article and Mr. O'Dell is very misleading!"
"Nice try, O'Dell, but no cigar."
For the record:
CHAPTER 37. PERJURY AND OTHER FALSIFICATION
§ 37.03. AGGRAVATED PERJURY.
(a) A person commits an offense if he commits perjury as defined in Section 37.02, and the false statement:
(1) is made during or in connection with an official proceeding;
(2) is material.
(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the third degree.
“On Aug. 4,2009, authorities have said Nichols lied during a child custody hearing (an official proceeding) in Anderson County court-at-law when testifying about his military background.”
Operative phrase: "lied...about his military background."
Sure wouldn't hire you as my defense attorney.
Charles, there's no reason to continue this, now becoming absurd, discourse.
The people who are blowing their "smoke" at you are the ones who continue to try to push your buttons on other blogs as well.
The fool who discusses your "obssession" with Ramus is exactly that, a fool.
The others are as equally foolish and provocative.
You know, I know and so do many of our intelligent neighbors that you are doing the right thing no matter what the outcome.
Keep up the good work and full speed ahead with doing the right thing, even if the odds are against our leaders taking up the same good cause.
Well, as I remember, anonymous 1:16 pm, it was Richard Nixon who first famously said, 'I am not a crook'.
For real, "fuhgetaboutit", yo.
Biased Anonymous says:
"We have...Bill Clinton to thank for this decay of morality when he perjured himself about Monica Lewinski, under oath as I remember. We also discovered that lying about sex is okay and that oral sex is not sex and now the school kids are into it big time."
Yes, our moral decay has nothing to do with Richard Nixon, LBJ, or the Reagan lies about the Contras or the Bush 1 and 2 lies about Panama and Iraq.
And of course our children's sexual attitudes have nothing to do with Mark Foley, Larry Craig, David Vitter or John Ensign. Are they going to turn our children gay or into mindless philanderers?
And let's not forget the Republican Party trying to blame all of our debt on Obama.
Pathological liars, folks. Your politicians and mine.
By the way, Wall Street has told Obama and the Republicans to let the debt ceiling rise. They call the shots, gullibles, not the politicians and the fear mongering media.
Big Deal "Vietnam vets are not heroes". You sir do not know what you are talking about. I put up with the lot of you during the 60's. So what if the men and women who served were drafted. They served with honor and did not burn their draft cards or run away to Canada or England. I was a military wife during Vietnam and was spit upon and refused service in stores because my husband was drafted. He at least held up his hand and served with pride. No neither of us liked the war but we were proud to serve our country. You sir should be ashamed of yourself for the dishonor you show our troops.
All those who served their country are heroes for fighting, surviving, and/or dying for their country. They did their duty by serving when called. If that is how you feel you would have done all of us a service by going to Canada instead of enlisting.
Boy, all you have to do is mention Military Service and they start coming out of the woodwork to defend and attack. Knowing that...
Mr. O'Dell is using the term "Military Service" as a red herring simply to gain sympathy for his cause whatever that is.
It does not matter one iota what the lie is about when you charge someone with perjury; it just has to be a proven lie and be material to the case enough to affect the outcome.
No one will prosecute this case and O'Dell knows it, or should. He is again, just trying to keep his name in lights. He has had his butt handed to him several times over his obsession with that jerk, Ramus and he just can't let go.
Are people who defend our military and soldiers right wingers, deviants, liberals and/or social misanthropes?
If you continue to make absurd and stupid remarks about our military or the men and women serving or who have served in it, then you should expect some sort of backlash for spouting your silliness.
As for liars like Ramus, why should we let him off easy? I give credit to Mr. O'Dell for going after him and shining the spotlight on this misfit goofball even if nothing further happens legally to Ramus.
Ramus should not be able to continue to live in serene obscurity while doing whatever he wants to without consequence.
I'm all for socially monitoring and torturing the man publicly as often as possible. He has earned it.
“It does not matter one iota what the lie is about when you charge someone with perjury; it just has to be a proven lie and be material to the case enough to affect the outcome.”
Read the complaint. Ramus:
1. Lied about his military record
2. Lied about his criminal record
3. Lied about his race
4. Lied about his work history
All documented with official records.
These lies were made under oath and were made to affect the outcome of official proceedings…making them aggravated perjury.
So why wouldn’t District Attorney prosecute these crimes? Is Ramus still under official protection?
What does this complaint have to do with the mission of HaysCAN? Ramus is a big loser for sure but I'd rather we spent our time working on more important issues like redistricting.
The preceding message (Anon 9:37 AM) was probably written by someone (Conley, Tibbe, a host of others) who have lots to lose if O'Dell's complaint is pursued. And so Anon wants to divert our attention elsewhere.
Odell wrote this complaint to the DA only because of his personal vengeance for Ramus. It is so full of inconstancies and lies itself (as is usual for Odell) that how can it be taken seriously by the DA?
Just one example. He says Ramus was a cook, not a chef, at tx state. But he gets demoted to Sous Chef. Has anyone in there right mind ever heard of a cook being demoted to a sous chef position? He also provides no proof of his other accusations. About all he's showing is that Ramus didnt appear to have the best career in life.
to Anon, 1:22 AM-
You're wrong. Mr. O'Dell included many pages of proof of his charges in the complaint he filed with the District Attorney. Read them yourself by clicking on the link in the article.
You're just hoping people will believe your rants that O'Dell is a liar. You probably are Ramus himself.
I am a regular reader of the round up and have read many articles about this mr. ramus... septic issues, lawsuits, payoffs, voodoo, fixed judges, ad nauseum. why is it nothing is done to finally put this man and his political body guards out of their misery, for pete's sake???
Blonde said...
"I am a regular reader of the round up and have read many articles about this mr. ramus... septic issues, lawsuits, payoffs, voodoo, fixed judges, ad nauseum. why is it nothing is done to finally put this man and his political body guards out of their misery, for pete's sake???"
I ask... Which "man" are you referring to, O'Dell? If so, we are in agreement.
Doing the right thing isn't always easy. Tibbe will have to choose between prosecuting what appears to be repeated incidences of perjury under oath and letting a jury of his peers decide his fate or 'business (justice) as usual' in Hays County. The first step to putting integrity back into our justice system is ensuring everyone respects and follows the law and when they don't making sure they suffer the consequences. That not only includes citizens who find themselves 'lucky' enough to be included in the justice system but judges and prosecutors too.
DD 214, DD 214, DD 214, DD214
Every vet gets one, and it proves what a vet did. But knowing Ramus, he'll claim to be a CIA agent or DIA operative.
DD214, produce the goods Ramus !
very simple answer to all this fuss about Ramus. At the Court House in Hays County, Texas, Ramus produces a certified copy of his DD214. It will be revised by an offical to named . Then and at that same moment, all this fuss will be cleared up. Take the offer or not Mr. Ramus. The world is now waiting.
The issue regarding Mr. Ramus and his DD214 can be easily explained. He is a veteran by definition, and he is very disabled in many ways by definition. But the two are not quite "married". If he has a service connected disability, he would have a Veterans Admin. ID Card. He would also be able to prove his claim disbaled vet. status by the payments made to him each month by the VA. Simple. No ticky, no washy ! Provide proof of your DD214, Vet. Admin. ID card, and monthly payments by the VA.
Mr. Ramus, name 2 men with whom you served in the US> Navy. Who was your drill instructor? What was the name of your recruiter?
With a DD214, a vet can buy land in the state of Texas and get a whopping good deal. A vet can also be admitted into many organizations. A vet can also receive a discount at many stores . Part of the job hiring process in this country is to submit a verified true certified copy of a vet's DD214 upon applying for a job. Why then, is Mr. Ramus hiding from us all? Why does Mr. Ramus feel so ever omnipotent, while the rest of us follow the rules and norms? DD214 NOW!
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