An Army officer has been fired following an investigation into an elaborate series of lies about his deployments that he used to deceive a number of women into having at least six affairs, the branch revealed Thursday.
According to Task & Purpose, the Army said the investigation into Lt. Col. Richard Kane Mansir has concluded and Mansir was subsequently relieved of command.
“Based on the investigation’s substantiated findings, the Commanding General for the U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training and the Fort Eustis Senior Army Element Commander relieved Lt. Col. Mansir of command of U.S. Army Support Activity Fort Eustis, effective Sept. 22,” said Maj. Randy Ready, an Army spokesman.
“Mansir was previously suspended from command during the investigation,” Ready added. “The command has taken additional appropriate actions in response to the findings from the investigation.”
A civil affairs officer from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Mansir reportedly had serious relationships with at least six women over five years, while still married to his wife of nearly 20 years.
Another report from Task & Purpose earlier this year stated that Mansir rented a townhouse for one woman to whom he was engaged and who was pregnant with their child, while taking trips with another woman to whom he was also engaged.
The officer reportedly lied to the women that he was divorced from his wife, and that one of their three children, his daughter, was dead.
“He’s got this playbook. He tells these lies about his dead children, about his [post-traumatic stress disorder], his deployments, and all the horrible things he’s had to do,” one of the women who was engaged to Mansir told the Daily Beast. “He creates all these imaginary traumas to cloak his lies in.”
Mansir reportedly told the women lies about his service, including fabricated deployments and claims that he had earned the Silver Star Medal. In an effort to further obfuscate the truth, the Lt. Col. even allegedly created fake deployment papers.
At one point, one of the women saw Mansir on base despite his claim that he had deployed. The couple had even briefly texted while Mansir was supposedly away. During the conversation, Mansir claimed that he broke his foot and was transported to Germany.
When the woman confronted Mansir, he initially denied any wrongdoing before changing his story that he had returned in secret to surprise her.
“He played it off as if he was trying to surprise me post-deployment and that he had to quarantine, and that I ruined the whole surprise,” the woman said.
Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the crime of adultery is described as “extramarital sexual conduct” and includes a maximum punishment of dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of pay and up to a year in jail.
Mansir’s service record shows that he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 2003, according to Task & Purpose. He has been awarded the Bronze Star, four Meritorious Service Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medal, and three Army Commendation Medals, and has served with the 91st Civil Affairs Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and Army Special Operations Command.
