BALTIMORE — Federal agents arrested a 66-year-old Maryland man Tuesday, claiming that his life was a lie.
William G. Hillar of Millersville, Md., said he’s an Army Special Forces retired colonel who has traveled the world fighting terrorism and advising foreign military organizations.
And he frequently speaks out against human trafficking, claiming in marketing materials that his only daughter was kidnapped, forced into the sex industry and killed — a story that became the basis, he has said, for the 2008 film “Taken,” starring Liam Neeson. But authorities say they can find no evidence of a military background, other than a stint with the U.S. Coast Guard in the 1960s, according to an FBI affidavit filed in Maryland U.S. District Court.
Former members of the Special Forces brought the alleged fraud to the FBI’s attention, said a statement by Richard McFeely, agent in charge in Baltimore. Hillar is charged with mail fraud. The Baltimore Sun
