Wearing an Air Force uniform and regaling college officials with her tales of combat in Southwest Asia, a bogus “airman” managed to convince Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., to give her a small fortune in grants. Lisa Jane Phillips received $42,178 in free tuition. College officials must not have checked for a military ID or other documentation before shelling out the dough. The 34-year-old admitted Monday in court that she had impersonated an officer for nearly three years while attending classes at the private women’s school. Finally, a campus police chief questioned her combat exploits and, his suspicions aroused, queried the FBI. A federal court is contemplating her sentence.
The U.S. began extensive air and artillery strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria on Dec. 19 in retaliation for the killing of three Americans on Dec. 13 by a gunman affiliated with ISIS, U.S. officials said.
