Sergio Garcia, who stepped down May 21 as chief of staff at Syracuse, N.Y.-based Upstate Medical University after discrepancies were uncovered about key details of his past, is claiming those discrepancies are "unintentional errors," Syracuse.com reports.
During a 2017 speech, Mr. Garcia claimed to have narrowly escaped a 2013 car bombing in Afghanistan, asserted he was close friends with former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and said he was in the White House during the Sept. 11 terror attacks all claims debunked in a news report from the Albany Times-Union.
"I acknowledge and apologize for the unintentional errors ... as I attempted to provide a lot of information in a short amount of time of my personal and professional journey in serving our country with honor and distinction," Mr. Garcia said in a prepared statement, according to Syracuse.com.
Mr. Garcia acknowledged that he falsified bank records and embezzled money in 1998, as reported by the Albany Times-Union, and he said Upstate Medical University was aware of these facts.
"Yes, I committed a huge mistake more than 20 years ago," Mr. Garcia stated "The mistake was my personal jolt to straighten out my life with the support of two great parents."