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MIIS Fabulist Hillar Arrested in Maryland
January 25, 2011
Military fabulist Bill Hillar, a self-proclaimed human-trafficking expert who claimed his life-story formed the basis of the film Taken, was arrested Tuesday morning in Maryland and reportedly faces federal fraud charges.
The FBI took Hillar into custody this morning at Hillar’s home in Millersville, according to a report from ABC News affiliate WJLA. In the criminal complaint, Hillar faces charges of mail fraud related to a $2,145 check he received from MIIS and delivered to his Maryland address.
Hillar will make his first court appearance this afternoon. According to the complaint, Hillar collected more than $32,000 from MIIS during his time as a lecturer there.
FBI spokesman Rich Wolf of the Baltimore Field Office didn’t immediately return a phone call requesting comment. Hillar, who has claimed to be a retired colonel in the U.S. Army Special Forces, told a wild tale of international intrigue in his popular one-credit workshops at MIIS. He claimed that his own 17-year-old daughter was kidnapped by traffickers in Southeast Asia, and was killed by them. He has said that he personally tracked her abductors, and claimed that the 2008 film starring Liam Neeson is based on his exploits.
In late November, MIIS announced that Hillar misrepresented his academic credentials. The U.S. Army Special Operations Command has no record that William G. Hillar ever took part in special operations education and training, which are standard for special forces personnel.
According to the National Archives and Records Administration, a William Gibb Hillar did serve in the United States Coast Guard Reserve from 1962 to 1970
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