Some local veterans were shocked to discover a man they were helping was only posing as a Marine for financial gain.

After eight years of serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Dustin Batson opened his own business, West End Elixer in College Station.

Batson said he hires a lot of veterans, so he did not think twice when David Roberson told him he was a fellow Marine down on his luck.

"A few weeks later, he asked me for a job. Hired him on the spot. He gave me no reason to doubt him,” Batson said.

Batson said he terminated Roberson shortly after he got a call from a veterans organization, who had reason to believe Roberson was not a Marine at all.

"We started to look into it and we discovered the years he said he was in the Marine Corps., he was actually in prison for sexual assault and he is a registered sex offender,” said Batson.

At that point, Batson said he formed a group to confront Roberson. It included his friend and fellow veteran, Joseph Rousell.

"Pretty infuriating knowing that other people more deserving of help weren't getting that help, and he was getting it under false pretense," Rousell said.

They traveled together to Houston to confront Roberson, who was arrested shortly after.

"It was satisfying. It was especially satisfying to see the police officers who were probably vets [make the arrest],” Batson recalled.

Roberson has quite the rap sheet.

He was wanted in Brazos County for lying to police, and in Galveston for petty theft and theft of a firearm. He is also registered as a sex offender for attempting to assault a minor.

Rousell said that's what most infuriating to him about the situation, since Roberson spent time around his other employees and their children, including his one-year-old son.

"I think that's the point that hit a lot of people,” he said.

Roberson is currently in the Brazos County Jail while waiting on a transfer to Galveston.