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Franck Gervais pleads guilty to illegally wearing military gear on Remembrance Day

Franck Gervais, who wore illegal military gear, gets probation, community service

Franck Gervais, 32, has pleaded guilty to illegally wearing a military uniform and medals during the 2014 Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa at the National War Memorial.

The Quebec man pleaded guilty in an Ottawa courtroom today to the unlawful use of military uniforms and unlawful use of military decoration while dressed as a military sergeant on Nov. 11.

Gervais is not a member of the Canadian Forces.

The Crown withdrew two charges of impersonating a public officer.

Gervais, who is from Cantley, Que., was arrested in Ottawa in November and later charged.

After seeing Gervais speaking as a "sergeant" on television on Nov. 11, a number of veterans and soldiers called CBC News to question his status as a soldier.

The agreed statement of facts read in court Wednesday revealed Gervais was wearing the Canadian Armed Forces ceremonial dress uniform of a sergeant with the Royal Canadian Regiment.

He had also donned the Medal of Bravery, Special Service Medal with one bar, Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal, NATO Medal for Kosovo and Canadian Forces Decoration for 12 years of service.

Claimed to have been a paratrooper

Gervais's misrepresentations on Nov. 11 did not end at the Remembrance Day ceremony, according to the agreed statement of facts.

Gervais and his wife went to the Canadian War Museum where author Rod McLeod was promoting his book, Vigil, the statement said.

There, Gervais talked to McLeod and an officer with the Canadian reserves, falsely claiming he had been a paratrooper and had earned the Medal of Bravery.

According to the statement of facts, Gervais was a cadet for several years in the 1990s, but never joined the military.

Gervais's sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 11. The maximum punishment he can receive is a fine.