Minnesota man alleged to have faked being a POW charged with stolen valor and benefits fraud

A Dilworth, Minnesota man has been charged in a scheme to defraud the Department of Veterans Affairs by falsely claiming to have been a decorated veteran and a prisoner of war.

According to a Department of Justice release , from 2015 through 2020 Mikhail Robin Wicker, 37, carried out a scheme to obtain VA benefits by fraudulently claiming himself to be a decorated United States Marine Corps veteran and by falsely claiming that he suffered from combat-related injuries that qualified him for disability and other financial benefits.

According to court documents, as part of the scheme, Wicker falsely claimed that he had served in the Marine Corps and that he had been a prisoner of war during deployment in Iraq in 2005. 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.

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

Wicker is charged 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. He made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on April 3 before Magistrate Judge Jon T. Huseby.

To read the full indictment, visit here.

Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com .