Clay County man found guilty in federal court of pretending to be a veteran to claim benefits

Mikhail Robin Wicker, 39, was found guilty in federal court Friday of pretending to be a War on Terrorism Veteran, falsely claiming he served in Iraq in 2005.

Wicker was charged and found guilty of wire fraud, mail fraud, using a false military discharge certificate and fraudulent use of military medals.

According to court documents, Wicker falsely claimed for years that he was a decorated U.S. Marine who was deployed to Iraq in 2005 with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment.

Wicker reportedly lied about numerous details of his fictitious service, claiming he had been a recipient of the Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medals. Through these claims, Wicker is believed to have obtained benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, using forged documents and counterfeit medal certificates.

It is believed that Wicker was given $140,000 in healthcare, disability, and education benefits from the Veterans Affairs Department.

At trial, Marine veterans from Lima Company testified that Wicker had never served with them, and federal searches across Marine Corps and Department of Defense databases showed no records of Wicker ever serving any branch of the military. 

Employment, pay, and state court records showed that Wicker was in Michigan during the years he claimed he was deployed to Iraq. 

Wicker will be sentenced at a later date.
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