Minnesota Man Accused of Stolen Valor During Operation Iraqi Freedom

Saint Cloud, MN, USA / KNSI

Apr 3, 2024 | 5:07 PM

AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King, File

(KNSI) – A western Minnesota man is accused of collecting disability compensation from the VA for nearly five years based on a lie.

United States Attorney Andrew Luger says the 37-year-old from Dilworth committed stolen valor by claiming to have been a member of a United States Marine Corps unit that suffered some of the heaviest casualties of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Mikhail Robin Wicker said on his application for benefits that he served in the 3rd Battalion’s Lima Company.

He alleged that he was injured by an improvised explosive device and then captured as a prisoner of war in 2005. The attorney’s office says Wicker never served in any capacity and lied to gain access to financial support, he also falsified documents showing he was honorably discharged and a Purple Heart recipient.

Wicker received over $100,000 between 2015 and 2020 before his scheme was discovered. He is charged with document fraud, lying about receiving a military medal, theft of government funds, and wire fraud.

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