FBI: Jobseeker pretended to be Army Maj. General

AKRON, Ohio - Federal authorities allege a West Virginia man who applied for a job with an Ohio company pretended to be a major general with the U.S. Army and listed the Army chief of staff as a reference on his resume.

A criminal complaint filed in federal court accuses Randall Keyser of Barboursville, W.Va., of wire fraud.

Court records show he was arrested Thursday and has a detention hearing Tuesday.

An FBI agent alleges in an affidavit that Keyser sought a six-figure job with an Ohio construction company in March.

It says he told company officials he had supervised construction projects and answered directly to the U.S. secretary of defense but was planning to retire from the military.

The president of Tri-C Construction, Randy Clarahan, told Phil Trexler of the Akron Beacon Journal that Keyser appeared for a meeting in uniform.

Keyser had claimed to have a personal relationship with former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and claimed he reported directly to current Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The FBI said, according to Keyser's resume, the job applicant boasted of leading U.S. Army efforts in the Gulf War and Afghanistan.

Keyser's attorney, George Pappas, declined to comment Saturday.

The Beacon Journal noted a 1989 Associated Press story which told of Keyser being hired 22 times over the previous decade using questionable credentials. The jobs included law enforcement or county government positions in several states, including Florida, North Carolina, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

He was hired six times as a police chief.

In most cases Keyser's identity was soon uncovered.

Government officials told the AP they rarely pursued criminal charges for fear of negative reaction or embarrassment.