MN Man Lied About Being A Marine, Prisoner Of War In Iraq: Feds

BEMIDJI, MN — The federal government is accusing a Dilworth, Minnesota man of stolen valor.

Mikhail Robin Wicker, 37, defrauded the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs by falsely claiming to have been a decorated Marine Corps veteran and former prisoner of war in Iraq, according to U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

Wicker was charged Wednesday with one count of wire fraud, one count of false military discharge certificate, one count of fraudulent use of military medals, and one count of theft of government funds.

As part of the scheme, which began in 2015, Wicker falsely claimed that he had served in the United States Marine Corps and that he had been a prisoner of war during deployment in Iraq in 2005, according to federal authorities.

Wicker also claimed that he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other injuries from an improvised explosive device attack while he served in Iraq, prosecutors said.

According to investigators, Wicker submitted forged and falsified documents supporting his benefits application to the VA, including a fraudulent DD214 Certificate of Discharge and a false document purporting to be a Purple Heart certificate.

As a result, Wicker received more than $100,000 in veterans’ benefits which he was not entitled to because he had never served in the military, prosecutors said.

This case results from an investigation conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, and the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General.