Sarah Jane Cavanaugh, a former social worker at a Rhode Island veterans' hospital, has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for fraudulently posing as a decorated Marine Corps veteran with cancer and collecting nearly $300,000 in benefits, charitable contributions, and donations. She was exposed when a charity she applied to for funds became suspicious and started checking her background. Her sentence serves as a reminder of the importance of verifying the credentials of those claiming to be veterans, and of the consequences of fraudulently posing as a veteran.