Fake records and forged signatures: Marines say recruiting pressure fueled a culture of fraud

Matt Rota for BI

Recruiting new Marines can be so challenging in parts of the US that some recruiters have resorted to fraud to meet their monthly goals.

Business Insider obtained a 2023 Marine Corps investigation into one area of the Rust Belt that found widespread rule-breaking, including fabricated police records and fake medical notes. Two recruiters who were fired as part of the probe spoke to Business Insider about the pressures of recruiting and what drove them to fake records.