A Maryland man has pleaded guilty to fooling law enforcement and educational institutions by posing as an expert in terrorism and human trafficking.
Prosecutors said 66-year-old William G. Hillar, of Millersville, pleaded guilty to wire fraud Tuesday in federal court in Baltimore. He engaged in a scheme to lie about his military and academic credentials to gain positions as an instructor for public and private institutions, including the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.
Hillar admitted that he had taught, given speeches, led workshops and conducted training under fraudulent pretenses for at least the past 12 years. He ran a business called Bill Hillar Training and purported on his website and in other materials to be a retired Army colonel who served overseas and had received a doctorate from the University of Oregon. 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.
He will be sentenced July 20 and could receive up to 20 years in prison. As part of his plea agreement, Hillar agreed to pay $171,415 in restitution to agencies he duped and perform community service at Maryland veterans’ cemeteries.
