(WFRV) – A 34-year-old Wisconsin man is facing two felony charges after he allegedly posed as a Marine and stole thousands from his girlfriend and her family.
According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, 34-year-old Jakobie Timblin was arraigned in April on two counts: providing false statements regarding military service with intent to commit a crime and theft by false representation.
An investigation revealed that Timblin allegedly started talking with a victim online in 2015. A year later, someone posing as Timblin’s mother reportedly asked the victim if she would write to Timblin, who was allegedly overseas serving as a member of the Marines.
Over the course of the next several years, the victim communicated with Timblin via letters. In 2019, the two met in person for the first time and started dating.
The same year, someone posing as Timblin’s captain told the victim he was working on a gift for Timblin based on the ‘heroic work’ he did overseas. The so-called captain asked the victim for a loan, saying it would be paid back by the Department of Defense. The victim reportedly wrote a check for $5,000.
Later, during a trip to the victim’s family cabin, Timblin allegedly told a relative of the victim that he had learned of his mother’s death when he returned from deployment.
Timblin said he needed money to help with estate planning and claimed that he was upset that a bill collector would harass a “military man of honor” like himself. The relative reportedly wrote him a check for $6,500.
On that trip, authorities say Timblin brought along his ‘dress blues’ which had multiple medals attached, including a Purple Heart.
When he didn’t pay the relative back, they checked the obituary of Timblin’s mother only to learn that she had just one son, Jacob Elliot.
Elliot changed his name to Timblin after he met the victim and bought the Marine uniform online, investigators later determined. The relative learned that Elliot, who she identified as the man she knew as Timblin with a Department of Corrections photo, and reported the incident to Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
A sergeant with the sheriff’s office, a Marine veteran, was shown a photograph of Timblin wearing the uniform. The sergeant noticed discrepancies as to where the patches and medals were placed.
Authorities also worked with the Marines to verify that Timblin never served in the armed forces.
When the victim thought Timblin was overseas, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said he was actually incarcerated in the Wisconsin State Prison System. He was released from prison in late 2018, shortly before he met the victim in person.
“It is morally deplorable to be a military imposter and is particularly reprehensible to use society’s respect and admiration for the brave men and women that serve this great county for one’s gain,” Washington County Sheriff Martin Schulteis said in a statement. “This case went even further when Timblin claimed to be a purple heart recipient which tramples on the honor of those that have been injured or worse, given up their life for one’s country.”
Timblin is scheduled to have a court appearance on May 25.