An IRS contractor who has been using a minor, possibly non-existent injury from his prep school days 27 years ago to secure government contracts for his company was publicly shamed by Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) in such a magnificent way that it almost made his fraud worthwhile.

Braulio Castillo, CEO of Strong Castle Inc., claims he broke his foot playing sports at a military prep school in 1984.

Before starting his technology company, Castillo filed for and received a 30 percent disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), allowing Strong Castle to label itself a "service-disabled, veteran-owned small business," thereby making it eligible for so-called "set-aside" government contracts.

Castillo is now embroiled in a lengthy probe into the possibility that he further gamed the system by using his friendship with top IRS official Greg Roseman to obtain contracts.

But back to Castillo's supposed disability: According to the House Oversight Committee, the fracture Castillo claimed he suffered didn't show up in X-rays taken at the time of his supposed injury.

And Castillo doesn't even remember how he got injured in the first place.

That was more than enough for Castillo to earn the ire of decorated war hero Duckworth, who lost both her legs and the use of her right arm while serving as a helicopter pilot in Iraq.

But what really pushed her over the edge was a letter sent by Castillo to the VA as part of his efforts to secure government contracts.

"These are crosses that I bear due to my service to our great country and I would do it again to protect this great country," Castillo wrote.

"I’m so glad that you would be willing to play football in prep school again to protect this great country," Duckworth responded. "Shame on you, Mr. Castillo. Shame on you. You may not have broken any laws … but you certainly broke the trust of this great nation. You broke the trust of veterans. Iraq and Afghanistan veterans right now are waiting an average of 237 days for an initial disability rating. It is because people like you who are gaming the system are adding to that backlog that young men and women who are suffering from post-traumatic stress, who are missing limbs cannot get the compensation and the help that they need."

You must watch the whole thing.

[H/T: Military Times]