Amanda Kate Walker Bass Was the Center of a News Story About Her Military Service. But She Never Served, and is Now Going to Prison.

Published Jul 31, 2026, 11:10 AM EDT

Amanda Kate Walker Bass, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of fraudulent use of military medals.

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Published Jul 31, 2026, 11:10 AM EDT

A woman has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison after she falsely claimed to be a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran who had been injured in Afghanistan to claim benefits. Amanda Kate Walker Bass, 36, of West Tennessee, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of fraudulent use of military medals in February, according to a release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee issued July 30. U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris sentenced Bass to 16 months in prison and three years of supervised release. The court will enter a judgment of restitution at a later date. Court information cited by the Department of Justice states that Bass claimed to be a multiple-time deployed Marine veteran who was the lone survivor of an enemy ambush in Afghanistan in 2010 that left her seriously wounded. She "used this fictitious narrative for financial gain," including starting a GoFundMe page to garner financial benefits and sharing her purported claims online in order to gain donations, free labor, and other benefits. In July 2021, she was the focus of The Daily Memphian news article, titled, “Disabled, legally blind veteran now dealer of luxury goods.” She, of course, was never a veteran.