Alleged faker faces mail fraud charges
Claimed he was Green Beret colonel, counterterrorism expert
By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jan 31, 2011 11:55:10 EST
Lecturer William G. Hillar inspired his audience with what he said was his life story: He had tried to rescue his daughter from human traffickers and inspired the hit movie “Taken.”
He was a retired Green Beret colonel and counterterrorism expert, he said.
According to prosecutors, it was not his really his life, it was lies.
Hillar, 66, was charged with mail fraud for his alleged scheme to fake his military experience and academic credentials to gain employment for teaching and training.
The complaint was unsealed upon his arrest Jan. 25. Hillar appeared in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, where a judge ordered that he be detained in lieu of $50,000 bond.
“The complaint alleges that William G. Hillar was living a lie and basing his entire career on experience he did not have and credentials that he did not earn,” U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said in a statement. “He was never a colonel, never served in the U.S. Army, never was deployed to exotic locales and never received training in counterterrorism and psychological warfare while in the armed forces.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely said in a statement that Hillar's deception was revealed by members of the Special Forces community. In late October, questions were raised about Hillar’s credentials in a forum thread at professionalsoldiers.org, a website dedicated to the Special Forces community.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/0...harges-013111/