by Nick Delgado

Guam - Jason Robert Daniels was sentenced to 34 months behind bars in federal court Wednesday. He was convicted for multiple counts of wire fraud, theft of government funds, financial institution fraud, misuse of a social security number and aggravated identity theft. Charges that all stemmed from using his brother's identity to enlist in the Navy.

In court it was revealed his brother had a mental disability. Daniels was stationed on Guam as a corpsman at Naval Hospital in July 2008. He was discharged in September 2009 under other than honorable conditions, around the same time he forged a suicide note and fled the island. Several things the prosecution argued were that Daniels owed the Navy $60,000 for the salary he earned, to include $400,000 for the Servicemember's Group Life Insurance Policy the government contends he intended to collect.

However, defense attorney John Gorman argued his client did work hard and was even given high marks by the Navy, as he was up for promotion. Gorman argued the intention to collect insurance money was merely speculation.

Chief Judge Frances Tydingco Gatewood a number of times called this "a bizarre case, ruling out those two accusations against Daniels. Gatewood ordered him however to pay $16,000 in restitution to the Navy Federal Credit Union where he obtained loans and credit cards.

Gorman spoke briefly after the hearing, telling KUAM News, "It was a fairly long hearing, I think both sides had a very legitimate argument. Overall, we are very happy with today's sentence - we think 34 months is very reasonable sentence, so my client and I are very happy. He has a year credit already, so he has approximately 22 months left to go and then he just hopes to move on and rebuild his life."

But rebuilding is stained by an alcoholic past that Daniels in court admitted lead to his poor decisions. Daniels stood in a blue federal detainee shirt and shorts before the court apologizing to the people of Guam and the Navy for his actions. He said, "What I did was wrong, and I feel horrible." He further explained he was medically discharged from the Marine Corps in 2005 and from then on had a hard time getting back in the service. "I never felt so alone, and I kept going back to alcohol," he said. "I drank and drank myself into oblivion." he added, "I was so deep in a lie that I couldn't pull myself out of it - Jason Daniels didn't exist anymore."

Gatewood ordered he take alcohol treatment. A judicial recommendation was also made for Daniels to be confined at a facility in South Dakota near his family, who he his slowly gaining respect from again. Following his incarceration, Daniels will be on four years supervised release.