BATON ROUGE — A bill that would make it a crime to falsely claim to have served in the military is making its way through the Louisiana Legislature. 

Senate Bill 51, authored by state Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, "creates the crime of fraudulent representation of military service or awards," commonly referred to as "stolen valor."

If the legislation is passed, anyone who lies about having served in the military could be fined up to $1,000 and/or imprisoned for up to six months. 

The bill also includes higher punishment for making false claims about having earned more prestigious awards, specifically the Congressional Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Silver Star and Purple Heart. 

Lying about being awarded any of those honors, or making a replica or duplicate of them, could levy a fine of up to $5,000 and/or land a person as much as a year in prison.

Furthermore, stolen valor for the purpose of receiving benefits typically reserved for service members would allow for a fine of up to $10,000 and/or five years in prison with hard labor. 

This bill comes not long after former East Baton Rouge Parish Judge Tiffany Foxworth-Roberts was removed from the bench when the state Supreme Court ruled she falsely represented herself as a Desert Storm veteran.