A Minnesota man was convicted on several charges of defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs out of more than $140,000 in benefits, falsely claiming to be a Marine veteran, Purple Heart recipient, and former prisoner of war. Mikhail Robin Wicker, 39, forged medical certificates and other documents to apply for and receive VA benefits, according to the Justice Department.
On Nov. 21, a federal jury convicted Wicker of wire fraud, mail fraud, using a false military discharge certificate and fraudulent use of military medals, the Justice Department announced. The conviction came a year after he was indicted and a decade after Wicker began his Stolen Valor scheme.
For years Wicker, also known as Michael Robin Wicker, falsely claimed that he deployed to Iraq in 2005 with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, which suffered some of the highest casualties of the Iraq War, according to the indictment against him. During its 2005 deployment near Haditha in Iraq, the unit lost 22 Marines and a Navy Corpsman.
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Wicker began the scheme in late 2015, according to the indictment. He applied for Veterans Affairs disability benefits — which provide monthly tax-free payments to veterans — claiming to be a Marine Corps veteran. He then went further, claiming to suffer both physical injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder from an improvised explosive device attack in Iraq. He also began to say that he had been captured as a prisoner of war in Iraq from Feb. 25 to March 4, 2005, according to the indictment, which Task & Purpose obtained through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records, or PACER system.
To maintain the scheme, Wicker submitted a fake DD214 and then falsified certificates, including for awards such as a Purple Heart.
“He bragged that he had received numerous awards and decorations for his service, including the Purple Heart, the Prisoner of War Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal,” the indictment said. “None of which was true.”
Wicker got bolder. In 2017, he then applied for VA education benefits, gaining subsistence allowance payments and tuition assistance to North Dakota State University. He was able to keep this going until December 2019, when he applied for an increase in disability benefits. In February 2020, the VA moved to cancel all of his benefits, finally noticing inconsistencies and being unable to confirm his service. By the time he was found out, the VA had provided Wicker with $140,000 worth of healthcare, disability, and education benefits.
According to records presented by the prosecution, Wicker was working retail jobs in Minnesota at the time when he later would claim to have been deployed near Haditha. During the week-long trial, several actual Marine veterans of Lima Company testified that Wicker had never been a part of their unit. Additionally, prosecutors used several documents showing where Wicker was at the time of his alleged service.
Wicker faces up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud conviction. A sentencing date has not been set.
