As of March 6, 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is knowingly violating multiple federal laws by allowing Fernando Cota, a convicted rapist and suspected serial killer, to remain buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

 

Under Public Law 113-65 (2013), individuals convicted of capital crimes, including rape and murder, are prohibited from being buried in national cemeteries. But this isn’t the only law Cota’s burial violates:

 

Cota’s Burial Violates Three Federal Laws & USMCJ

 

1. The 1997 Veterans Cemetery Protection Law (Public Law 105-116)

 

This law explicitly bars anyone convicted of a federal or state capital crime from burial in a national cemetery.

 

Cota was convicted of rape and served 8 years in prison—meaning he was legally disqualified from burial.

 

2. The 2013 Charles Dennis Law (Public Law 113-65)

 

Reinforced the 1997 law and expanded restrictions to ensure that anyone convicted of rape, murder, or serious violent felonies could not be buried in national cemeteries.

 

Cota’s conviction falls squarely within this law’s scope.

 

 

3. Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) Violations

 

Cota also violated multiple articles under the UCMJ, which governs military conduct.

 

Under Article 120 (Rape and Sexual Assault) and Article 133 (Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman), a conviction of rape alone is enough to dishonorably bar him from military honors.

 

Any military burial honor given to Cota is a direct insult to all veterans who served honorably.

 

 

The VA Has No Excuse

 

Cota’s criminal conviction makes his burial illegal—his discharge status is irrelevant.

 

Multiple laws—1997, 2013, and 2014—prohibit this burial. The VA is breaking ALL of them.

 

The VA’s refusal to act is an insult to veterans and a direct violation of federal law.

 

The VA is trying to cover up Fernando Cota's horrific past by citing his honorable discharge record—the only way he could be buried despite his rape conviction. This blatant manipulation of Public Law 113-65 is a direct violation of the 1997 & 2013 laws and UCMJ! #VACotaGate

 

This is not a gray area or a bureaucratic oversight—this is the VA knowingly breaking the law by allowing a convicted rapist to remain buried with honor. If the VA refuses to act, they are complicit in this violation.

 

The fight is not over. 

#DigUpCota