Today’s Washington Post reports details on a guy who the FBI hired to provide expert anti-terrorism training:
William G. Hillar billed himself as a hero and a patriot, a 28-year veteran of the Army Special Forces who shared his knowledge of counterterrorism by holding training sessions for federal agents and local police.
The 66-year-old Millersville man told people that he was an expert in human trafficking and drug trafficking. He said that his daughter had been kidnapped, forced into sex slavery and killed by her captors before he could rescue her. He said the movie “Taken,” starring Liam Neeson, was based on that experience.
Turns out it was all a sham. Hillar pled guilty and was sentenced to 21 months in prison by a federal judge yesterday.
Hillar has no experience in counterterrorism, emergency medicine, human trafficking or psychological warfare, as he claimed, prosecutors wrote. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in special education. He did consult on organizational issues for hospitals and stress management.
At some point, Hillar began billing himself as an expert lecturer. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he capitalized on the desire of law enforcement agencies and others to receive counterterrorism training, Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo J. Wise wrote in a sentencing memo.
The fraud was not unmasked by the FBI: they might have continued using this guy for a few more decades. A Special Forces vet became suspicious and did the digging that brought the roof down on this fraud.
No wonder that one commentor on the Post website suggests that FBI actually stands for “Famous But Incompetent.”
“He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in special education. He did consult on organizational issues for hospitals and stress management.”
That says it all!
But good enough for the FBI!
The only people who are surprised by this are ones who don’t read history (i.e. “pretty much everybody”) and know, for instance, that gun makers took advantage of the War Between The States to dump no end of unsellable crap on the Union and Confederacy, at inflated prices. Because, you know, there’s a war. And normal (which are not terribly exciting to begin with) “buying procedures” just go right out the window during wartime.
It’s good enough for gummint work, right? So why wasn’t Hillard promoted?