Jack A. Stern known as "Jackie" and "Papasan", claimed to be Congressional Medal of Honor winner and Prisoner of War in Korea. He told stories of his military exploits. He claimed to have stayed in the armed forces and served with Air America and then with the CIA. Stern even claimed to have even worn the ears of his enemies, around his neck! Ala Tristian, Brad Pitt's character in "Legends of the Fall".
Jack Stern claimed to have studied martial arts with the great masters in Japan and Korea while stationed over seas. According to Stern he had studied at the birth place of Judo, the Kodokan in Japan! Supposedly after Stern retired from the armed forces he went back to New York City AND became a policeman, then after many years service retired as a decorated detective from an elite law enforcement unit. Stern claimed to had been in Judo over 50 years and that his son was a 1987 Olympic gold medalist in Judo. He claimed he was the head of a Jiu Jitsu system that he had inherited and the head of the "respected Korean Yudo Association". He even also claimed to had been featured on the cover of Time Magazine.....but....NOT ONE WORD OF WHAT FLEW OUT STERN'S MOUTH WAS TRUE.
Jack Stern, didnt retire from the military, he was actually a retired bread truck driver. While he did serve in the military, he had never left the United States. See related article: https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/jackie-stern-man-bought-wore-medal-honor-didnt-earn.html
In 1996 according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office investigators Jack Stern's entire military record, law enforcement claims and even his martial arts claims were all a lie. “Stern had never set foot in a continent where blood was shed”. He was never in the CIA and never served with Air America. He was never a police officer nor did he retire a detective of a elite Law Enforcement Unit.
Kodokan Judo claims and Training with the Judo masters
The stories of Stern training in Judo at the Kodokan in Japan while stationed in the far east are false. The Kodokan themselves validated that there is no record of Stern ever training at the kodokan nor is there a record of his supposed Kodokan member card. The Kodokan searched for stern by name the member number on the card and his date of birth and found no record of Stern.
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There were no Olympics in 1987
The lie Stern told about his son being a Judo Olympic gold medalist was a source of amusement to the judoka he tried to tell it to. Anyone that has been active in Judo through the years knows the names of their medalists. The people not in judo were also amused when Stern proudly stated that his son won the gold medal in the 1987 Olympics. There were no Olympics held in 1987. They were held in 1988.
Head of the Korean Yudo Association
Stern charged all his students for membership in the Korean Yudo Association/Korean Yudo and Hapkido Association, supposedly from Korea, who according to Stern issued all rank certificates. According to the Broward County investigation this also turned out to be one of Stern's fabrications as well. Stern's judo/yudo certificates he sold his students were worthless and not from Korea.
His students ranks and rank certificates were worthless. Also Stern signed his own rank certificates and promoted himself!!!! One certificate for 6th Dan supposedly issued by "the Korean Yudo Association" was signed and dated 1995 by one person.... Jack Stern, himelf, and another signed in the same year for 7th Dan signed and dated by him as well.
According to Broward county Sheriff's office investigation in 1996 Stern's Korean Judo Association/Korean Yudo and Hapkido Association wasn't real. There were no corporation papers, no D.B.A records, no bank account and no tax returns that had been filed. Stern's certificates were worthless, the organization that he claimed to be the head of was non existent.
Judo NGB bans and false documents
In court in 1996 it was revealed that Stern had altered and falsified a plethora of documentation including military discharge paper work, a Time magazine cover, martial arts rank certificates from a non existent judo organization, sold membership to non existent martial arts organization, he forged his own self rank certificates, his own Korean Yudo rank certificates that he himself signed.
Stern admitted during the investigation and in court that he lied about his military and his martial arts training and pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale. Newspaper articles and people present at Stern's sentencing stated that Stern apologized to the military, law enforcement, to martial artists and to his students for defrauding them.
Jack A. "Jackie" Stern's false documentation practices also garnered him permanent bans from USA Judo, United States Judo Association and The United States Judo Federation, all three of the National Governing Bodies for Judo in the United States.
https://www.usjf.com/membership-expelled-and-suspended-list/
https://www.usja.net/suspended
Jack Stern passed away several years ago. There are other frauds who try and sugar coat the circumstances around Stern and skirt the truth by saying that just because Stern lied about his military service doesn't indicate he lied about his martial arts background...but Stern admitted in court that he made EVERYTHING up he admitted IN COURT that he was indeed a liar and a fraud period.
See related articles on Jack Stern: https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/jackie-stern-man-bought-wore-medal-honor-didnt-earn.html
http://www.cnn.com/US/9612/04/medal.without.honor/
