A disgraced soldier who lied his way to a Purple Heart will serve prison time for his fraud 

Former National Guard soldier Darryl Lee Wright leaves a courtroom at the U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Wash., where he faced two fraud charges Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Federal prosecutors say Wright lied his way to a Purple Heart and hundreds of thousands of dollars in government benefits. (AP Photo/Gene Johnson)

On Thursday, a judge sentenced a former soldier, who lied to get a Purple Heart, to three years in prison. Plus, he has to pay back $65,000 in stolen government benefits.

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Darryl Wright, 48, is the former National Guardsman who faked injuries from a 2005 explosion in Iraq, saying he was “was violently thrown and knocked unconscious from the percussion of the rockets’ impact” and claimed to be severely disabled as a result. He also doctored statements from fellow soldiers to corroborate his claims, earning him a Combat Action Badge and a Purple Heart. The Army has since revoked his awards.

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Additionally, Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Reese Jennings and Gregory Gruber argued that Wright used his medals to get “every possible benefit that might be available to a wounded veteran,” including disability benefits, a paid caregiver and forgiveness on a $40,000 student loan.

“This guy was a master at weaponizing his phony status as a Purple Heart Veteran,” Jennings said.

Prosecutors asked the judge to give Wright five years and an order to return the physical medals and a Purple Heart license plate. Wright pleaded guilty to counts of fraud last year.

Wright’s attorney called the judge’s decision to give him three years “the right sentence,” adding, “He acknowledged responsibility for the bad decisions that he’s made and apologized for them.”

RELATED: Watch the moment this father is reunited with his helmet from the Vietnam War

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