MILWAUKEE — Eight years after making first contact with his victim, a Wisconsin man was arraigned for allegedly stealing valor by posing as a marine to coerce thousands of dollars from a woman and her family after engaging in a romantic relationship.
As reported by TMJ4, 34-year-old Jakobie Timblin of Richland Center, Wisconsin is was charged with “providing false statements regarding military service with intent to commit a crime and theft by false representation.” He is accused of falsely stating that he was deployed five times — once to Iraq and four times to Afghanistan. These instances were all proven to be false.
Facing two felony counts out of Washington County, Wisconsin, Timblin’s antics allegedly began in 2015, when he was accused of making contact with his victim online.
Timblin and his victim reportedly corresponded via mail for years after someone claiming to be his mother told the victim that Timblin was serving with the United States Marines overseas. Their relationship developed for several years until 2019, when Timblin and his victim first met in-person.
That’s when the two engaged in a romantic relationship, and the victim was contacted for a $5,000 loan to the U.S. Department of Defense. They claimed this would be used on a gift celebrating the suspect’s military pedigree and heroism. The woman agreed to this proposal and signed a check for them.
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The Washington County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the suspect visited his victim’s family cabin with false medals including a purple heart. He is accused of tricking the victim’s stepmother into giving him money for his mother’s estate planning. TMJ4’s report indicates that “he was upset that the bill collector would harass a military man of honor like himself.” She wrote him a check for $6,500, which was never paid back.
When the stepmother grew suspicious, she researched Timblin’s mother and learned that her only son was named Jacob Elliot. By tracking down a picture from the Department of Corrections, she learned that Elliot changed his name to Jakobie Timblin after meeting his victim.
The stepmother turned to the Marines, who confirmed that Timblin was not a military man. He began to date his victim shortly after being released from a Wisconsin prison in 2018. Timblin was on extended release for an armed robbery charge from 2014.
On May 25, 2023, Timblin is scheduled to return to Washington County Circuit Court for pleas and sentencing.
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