A Long Island man accused of posing as a decorated combat veteran was arrested shortly before Veterans Day. Prosecutors say David Agtsteribbe, 58, falsely claimed he had received a Purple Heart and stole more than $81,000 from a veterans’ organization.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Agtsteribbe served in the military for about a year before being discharged as a private in 1988. He had been court-martialed and pleaded guilty the year before to stealing money from another soldier.
Prosecutors allege he later altered his discharge papers to make his record appear honorable. The documents helped him join the Hampton Bays American Legion in 2021 and secure a finance officer position, they said.
Beginning in 2022, Agtsteribbe allegedly moved money from the organization’s accounts into his own. Prosecutors say the funds paid for personal expenses including bills, online purchases, travel, clothing, streaming services and leisure activities. The alleged total was $81,798.31.
Investigators also say he sought membership in other veterans’ groups from 2019 onward, including the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Some altered documents allegedly described him as a retired lieutenant colonel, though he had left the military as a private.
In 2023 and 2024, prosecutors say, Agtsteribbe submitted falsified discharge records to the Town of Southampton while seeking to avoid a $50 resident permit fee and obtain a handicap parking permit. The altered records also listed an elevated retirement status, which may have helped him access free health care and other benefits.
District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said the allegations involved not only stolen funds but a fabricated military record used to gain the trust of veterans.
Agtsteribbe faces charges including second-degree grand larceny, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, two counts of offering a false instrument for filing and three counts of falsifying business records. If convicted on the top charge, he could face 25 years to life in prison as a persistent felony offender.
Prosecutors requested bail of $100,000 cash, a $200,000 secured bond or a $1 million partially secured surety bond, citing his criminal history and the charges. He is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 13, 2026.
