Fake Navy SEAL William Burley Sentenced to 3 Years for Conning a Crystal Lake Charity During a Somali Hostage Crisis

Case from 2014–2016 (U.S. Attorney's Office latest release: Dec. 19, 2016). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

William J. Burley, formerly of Yucaipa, California, was sentenced on Dec. 19, 2016, to three years in federal prison for posing as a highly decorated former Navy SEAL to get money from two aid organizations whose workers had been kidnapped in Somalia, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced [1]. He was ordered to pay $32,454 in restitution.

How the scheme worked

According to Burley's written plea agreement, as described by prosecutors [1]:

1. A real crisis: On July 11, 2012, four workers for International Aid Services, a Stockholm-based relief group, were ambushed in Somalia. Three were kidnapped and the fourth was shot and left behind.
2. The offer: Burley approached the organization offering to negotiate with the captors and, if needed, help rescue the hostages.
3. Invented credentials: He claimed to be a former Navy SEAL with a Presidential Unit Citation and other medals, to have attended the Universities of Delaware and Maryland, and to have consulted for the Navy, the Defense Department and the State Department. All of it was false.
4. The payout: International Aid Services – USA Inc. (IAS America), based in Crystal Lake, paid him $30,000, covered his travel to Kenya, and paid for another person to fly there to help him.
5. The "rescue plan": After failing to win the hostages' release, he returned and in September 2012 presented a rescue plan in Crystal Lake with more false claims. IAS America cut ties when it learned he was not a SEAL.

The hostages were not released until May 2014.

The person sentenced

William J. Burley, 36 at sentencing, formerly of Yucaipa, Calif. [1]

• Indictment (May 20, 2014): three counts of wire fraud [2].
• Plea (Aug. 30, 2016): pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
• Sentence (Dec. 19, 2016): three years in prison, three years of supervised release and $32,454 in restitution, imposed by U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard.
• Investigation: FBI Chicago.

Red flags

• A stranger offering specialized rescue or recovery services right after a crisis makes the news.
• Military honors and government consulting claims that can't be verified.
• Requests for upfront fees and travel money before any results.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Verify military service through the National Personnel Records Center or a records request, and check claimed decorations.
2. In a kidnapping or hostage case, work through the FBI and the State Department rather than private "negotiators" who approach you.
3. Report impostors to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.

Case status (as of Oct. 16, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
William J. Burley, formerly Yucaipa, Calif.	N.D. Ill., Western Division (Judge Reinhard)	Indicted May 20, 2014; pleaded guilty Aug. 30, 2016; sentenced Dec. 19, 2016, to 3 years; $32,454 restitution	[1], [2]

The sentence was imposed in 2016; we have not found a source on any later proceedings.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Man Posing as a Highly Decorated Navy Seal Sentenced to Federal Prison," Dec. 19, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/man-posing-highly-decorated-navy-seal-sentenced-federal-prison
2. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Man Posing As A Highly Decorated Navy Seal Charged With Defrauding Mchenry County Charity," May 20, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/man-posing-highly-decorated-navy-seal-charged-defrauding-mchenry-county-charity

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