A Minnesota man has been convicted of lying about serving in the military, defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs out of $146,287 in a brazen case of stolen valor.
Mikhail R. Wicker pieced together a whale of a story, claiming he had served in combat in Iraq, even going so far as stating he had earned a Purple Heart as a member of the Marine Corps.
According to prosecutors in the case, Wicker forged a combat record packed with false information. He claimed he had graduated from sniper school, was deployed to Iraq in 2005 with Lima Company, survived a stint as a prisoner of war, and earned the prestigious Purple Heart for being wounded in combat.
However, a federal investigation uncovered what Wicker was really doing in ’05 – living as a civilian in Michigan. Wicker’s scheme was elaborate. He falsified DD-214 documents detailing his “service record,” produced images of fake medals, and even hoodwinked actual Marines on social media, all to obtain disability benefits from VA, along with funding from the GI Bill.
Dr. Brent M. Eastwood, a retired Army infantry officer, writing about the case for the National Security Journal, said, “His conviction for wire and mail fraud highlights how stolen valor exploits an already overburdened disability system. These false hijinks usually make veterans angry but do not involve any serious crime. But this case is among the most egregious I have ever seen.”
Wicker’s trial lasted a week, and a jury convicted him on Nov. 21. He will receive sentencing from a federal judge at a later date.
No Military Paychecks
Perhaps Wicker, 39, yearned to be a soldier or was just looking for a way to get ahead in life without really earning it; either way, he cooked up quite a story.
He said he served with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, of the 25th Marine Regiment in Iraq and was taken prisoner by insurgents. There is no doubt his “Purple Heart” and other honors for meritorious service probably looked impressive to VA claims representatives.
But if VA officials had looked more extensively into his Social Security records, they would have seen Wicker was working in retail in Michigan in 2005.
“There is no indication he was ever paid a single paycheck from any branch of the military,” prosecutors said in a pre-trial statement.
Wicker claimed that after he was released from capture, he recovered from his wounds, and the Marine Corps sent him to sniper school. In reality, the civilian had been hurt in a car accident in 2005 and pleaded guilty to not reporting the incident.
How Did He Do It?
Based on the investigation, it’s clear Wicker took his time to plan out an elaborately fake scheme.
He conjured up bogus dates and details on a false DD-214 form. In 2006, he was ready to take his trickery to new heights, applying for a disability rating and receiving benefits from the VA. When the GI Bill became available for post-9/11 veterans, Wicker signed up for that, too.
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) reported that Wicker joined a Marine Facebook group to try to legitimize his fraudulent handiwork.
“He sent messages to Lima Company veterans claiming to remember certain people and asking for details that he ‘forgot.’ In 2020, Wicker tricked one of the group members into vouching for him in a letter to the VA, even though the veteran had no recollection of serving with Wicker,” MPR said.
After deceiving VA, Wicker made the mistake of trying to push his luck. He requested to have his disability rating increased. VA went to check his military records and found out he had none.
Defrauding the System
Wicker’s stolen valor case especially looks bad to all legitimate veterans who spend years trying to receive disability benefits or battle VA regulators just for a small ratings increase.
To receive disability payments, a veteran must apply and document either mental or physical injuries, at times both, that were caused during their military service. Veterans then have to be examined by doctors, with their notes being extensively scrutinized.
Veterans often have claims denied, but they can appeal those decisions. If they win the appeal and are awarded benefits, they’re given a rating between 10 and 100 percent and are paid a monthly tax-free stipend based on their rating. Veterans with higher ratings often do not work full-time jobs due to their disabilities, so receiving monthly payments is a lifeline.
The payments add up over time and are rewarded retroactively to the date the veteran applies, which is how Wicker was able to rack up more than $146,000 in fraudulent cash.
“Wicker’s use of Facebook to pad his story is especially troubling, as he claimed to be a part of a group of Marines who unwittingly gave him details for his fake service,” Eastman wrote. “Hopefully, Wicker faces the consequences for his transgressions and learns that it is wrong to lie about military service and defraud the government.”
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