A Maryland man who posed as a special forces officer and human trafficking expert was sentenced to 21 months in prison for lying to gain key teaching positions.
William G. Hillar, of Millersville, was also ordered by a federal judge in Maryland to pay more than $170,000 in restitution to the organizations he duped, including the FBI.
Hillar, 66, claimed to have been a colonel in the U.S. Army Special Forces with a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon. He taught workshops and conducted training for the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. He also boasted in his appearances that he was the inspiration for the 2008 action movie “Taken,” in which a former CIA operative’s daughter is kidnapped by men who want to enslave her, prosecutors said.
Despite his claims, Hillar never served in the U.S. Army, never attained the rank of colonel, never served in Asia, the Middle East or Central and South America t0 gain experience in counter-terrorism, explosives, emergency medicine and psychological warfare.
Hillar did serve in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.
