Navy deserter lived in Newport on fake ID for 3 decades

A Newport man who fled military service and lived under a stolen identity for more than 40 years was sentenced to prison on Monday.

Jerry Leon Blankenship, 65, had been dishonest about his name with almost everyone, including his girlfriend of thirty years and the mother of his three children, according to court records.

The story begins in 1976, when Blankenship enlisted in the United States Navy. Following basic training, he deserted to avoid future military service, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Blankenship assumed the identity another individual and established a new life under the stolen name in Newport.

A sentencing memo in Blankenship’s case, authored by his defense attorney, claims Blankenship stole this identity at the suggestion of his wife, who was in a child custody battle at the time. The identity Blankenship assumed is noted as “R.C.” or “Randy Clark” in court documents.

“When [redacted] discovered that Jerry was AWOL from the Navy, she suggested to Jerry that she knew enough of R.C.’s details that Jerry might easily lie and pass for R.C. in order to avoid further trouble with the Navy,” the sentencing memo states. “Jerry considered [redacted] offer, and accepted. Not long after, however, [redacted] too, left… Jerry’s choice to accept [redacted] offer profoundly altered the course of the rest of his life.”

Blankenship did not divorce this wife before becoming involved in a long-term relationship with her grown daughter and operating that business with the stolen identity, according to the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

https://www.wate.com/news/local-news/how-a-covid-19-vaccine-helped-investigators-find-a-us-navy-deserter-living-under-a-stolen-identity/
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