A ‘Walter Mitty’ actor who claimed to have starred in Netflix’s The Crown has been exposed as a convicted conman who posed as an army officer.
James Edward Yeates, 42, claimed to be a reservist Captain in a crack unit within the British Army’s intelligence corps, sharing pictures online in full uniform and sporting a chest full of medals.
He even appeared to have taken part in a mess function at the Honourable Artillery Company’s base in London alongside other veterans and serving personnel.
Having founded Military and Aviation Advisors (MAA) Ltd in August 2023, Yeates boasted online about being a ‘LAMDA-trained actor, armed forces officer, and skilled pilot’.
But LAMDA has told they have no record of him being a student. And defence insiders say there are no records of him having ever served in the military.
He has now been accused of ‘a despicable act of stolen valour’ amid claims he tried to dupe film firms into hiring him as a ‘military advisor’ with his fake army career.
Yeates, who is twice convicted for fraud with his last court appearance in 2015 seeing him jailed, has since insisted he never ‘intentionally misled anyone’ or ‘attempted to benefit professionally from any misrepresentation’.
A gushing post on MAA Ltd’s Instagram account read: ‘James brings a dynamic blend of talents. Collaborating closely with industry leaders, James crafts authentic scenes by seamlessly blending creative artistry with military and aviation experience.’
It adds: ‘With James leading the way, MAA guarantees a fresh level of authenticity and storytelling for your project.’
But he has today been exposed as a liar, masquerading as an intelligence chief, after his tale unravelled under scrutiny from the Walter Mitty Hunters Club, a secret network of former soldiers who unmask dubious military claims.
According to Walter Mitty Hunter’s Club, when they approached him, he signed off his email with ‘Major James Yeates, Co-Founder, Military and Aviation Advisors.’
The Walter Mitty Hunters Club said no records existed for Yeates in the London Gazette, which publishes honours and awards for gallantry and meritorious service in the armed forces.
After checking with dozens of sources across a number of military intelligence units, the group added that ‘nobody had ever heard of him’.
Independent checks by with defence insiders also show no record of any military service.
‘Checks were carried out by multiple sources and everyone came back with a nil return,’ a spokesman from the Walter Mitty Hunters Club said.
‘Not one mention of his name on anything, no one from the military intelligence (MI) world, regular and reserve could find him, more importantly, no one knew or had heard of him and going by his medals he would have at the very least served for around 19 years to have earned the QJM which he’s wear’s on his mess dress.
The group added: ‘The Army is small and the MI world very small, someone would have known of met him, but not a whiff of existence in the corps, or the wider pool.
Yeates also claimed his firm, MAA, had worked on the film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, but there is showing their involvement.
His website also claims MAA acted as ‘aviation advisors’ for the film Heads of State, starring American action hunk John Cena and British actor, Idris Elba.
However, his company does not appear to be credited on the International Movie Database (IMDb) as being involved with the action comedy, which set for release on July 2 on Prime Video.
has approached Amazon MGM Studios for comment.
LAMDA also confirmed Yeates had not attended any of its courses and that ‘no conclusive proof’ existed he had been a student with the institution.
Yeates, of Dorking, Surrey, dodged jail in 2006 after he took more than £20,000 from customers’ bank accounts after his company collapsed.
He splashed £22,650 in just three days and later admitted using criminal property and transferring criminal property at Guildford Crown Court.
A previous indictment of 30 counts relating to theft was left on file.
Yeates was later jailed for 12 months in May 2015 for fraud after spending £7,700 on a credit card that did not belong to him.
He bought first class flights to Los Angeles to shoot a video which he hoped would encourage influencers to join his YouTube network Jey Management.
Speaking to The Sun, Yeates said: ‘Some comments I’ve made in the past may have been misunderstood or taken out of context.
‘My focus has always been on working professionally and in good faith.’
He added: ‘At no point have I intentionally misled anyone, nor have I attempted to benefit professionally from any misrepresentation.’
The Ministry of Defence declined to comment on Yeates.