I Survived Combat in Iraq — Came Home & Built a Nonprofit — Then the Feds Sent Me to Prison
Ian Bick
143,242 views
Jeremy Harrell is a United States Army combat veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom suffered mental health and brain injuries from combat received a 70% plus Individual Unemployability disability rating from the VA and spent years battling PTSD depression and sleeplessness. In 2018 he started a private Facebook page to help fellow veterans. In 2019 he incorporated Veterans Club a faith based nonprofit dedicated to helping veterans overcome PTSD traumatic brain injuries substance abuse and homelessness. He was an unpaid volunteer. He received no salary. In 2024 the Biden DOJ convicted him of theft of government funds for receiving VA disability benefits while serving as an unpaid volunteer CEO. In December 2024 he was sentenced to 6 months in federal prison and 6 months of home confinement. He surrendered to federal prison in Ashland Kentucky on January 28 2025. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Jeremy tells the complete story — from serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom to the combat injuries that ended his military career to building Veterans Club from a Facebook page into a nationally recognized nonprofit to the Biden DOJ investigation that he believes was politically motivated to what federal prison was really like for a combat veteran chaplain who was there for volunteering.
#prison #veteran #truecrimestories
Connect with Jeremy Harrell:
Instagram: Instagram: jeremy_w_harrell_official
X: https://x.com/JeremyWHarrell
Website: https://veteransclubinc.org/
Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?h...
https://ianbick.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Combat Veteran Who Built a Nonprofit — Then Got Sent to Federal Prison — Jeremy's Full Story
00:36 His Difficult Childhood and the Family Dynamics That Shaped Everything
03:40 His Relationship With His Father and the Family Cycles That Defined His Early Years
07:12 His Mother's Struggles and the Family Hardship That Followed
08:19 His Early Passions and What Drove Him Toward a Life of Service
10:54 Choosing a Positive Path Despite Everything Working Against Him
13:54 Joining the Military in 1999 and What That Decision Really Meant
15:54 Boot Camp — the Expectations and the Reality That Followed
18:16 Graduating Boot Camp and the Transition to Advanced Training
23:21 The Sense of Purpose He Found After Boot Camp
25:01 His Deployment After 9/11 and What Heading to Iraq Really Looked Like
27:37 Life and Work Inside Iraq Detention Centers and What That World Required
29:56 The Prisoners the Conditions and the Lessons He Learned From Iraq
33:41 The Key Lessons From Combat and the Life Long Bonds That Followed
37:23 Returning Home — the Reentry Struggles and the PTSD Nobody Prepared Him For
43:31 Coping Relationships and What Seeking Help After Combat Really Looked Like
49:01 Post Military Life — UPS Banking and the Career Struggles That Followed
53:35 Medical Retirement and the Birth of His Veteran Nonprofit
55:02 Building a Successful Veteran Nonprofit and What That Mission Really Required
56:57 The Federal Indictment — the Accusations and the Confusion That Followed
01:00:01 The Legal Fight and the Federal Trial Challenges That Defined His Case
01:07:13 The Trial the Sentencing and the Aftermath That Changed Everything
01:17:34 Entering Federal Prison and What Those First Days Really Required
01:23:41 Life in Prison — His Adjustment and How He Continued Serving Others Inside
01:36:12 The Halfway House and the Complex Prison Release Process
01:44:51 His Post Prison Life and the Pursuit of Clemency That Continues
01:52:16 Continuing the Fight — His Legal Battles and Advocacy Work
02:10:15 The Lessons He Learned the Silver Linings He Found and His Hope for the Future
02:14:49 His Impact on Veterans and the Final Reflections He Wants Everyone to Hear
To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/Locked...
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I Survived Combat in Iraq — Came Home & Built a Nonprofit — Then the Feds Sent Me to Prison
Ian Bick
143,242 views
Jeremy Harrell is a United States Army combat veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom suffered mental health and brain injuries from combat received a 70% plus Individual Unemployability disability rating from the VA and spent years battling PTSD depression and sleeplessness. In 2018 he started a private Facebook page to help fellow veterans. In 2019 he incorporated Veterans Club a faith based nonprofit dedicated to helping veterans overcome PTSD traumatic brain injuries substance abuse and homelessness. He was an unpaid volunteer. He received no salary. In 2024 the Biden DOJ convicted him of theft of government funds for receiving VA disability benefits while serving as an unpaid volunteer CEO. In December 2024 he was sentenced to 6 months in federal prison and 6 months of home confinement. He surrendered to federal prison in Ashland Kentucky on January 28 2025. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Jeremy tells the complete story — from serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom to the combat injuries that ended his military career to building Veterans Club from a Facebook page into a nationally recognized nonprofit to the Biden DOJ investigation that he believes was politically motivated to what federal prison was really like for a combat veteran chaplain who was there for volunteering.
#prison #veteran #truecrimestories
Connect with Jeremy Harrell:
Instagram: Instagram: jeremy_w_harrell_official
X: https://x.com/JeremyWHarrell
Website: https://veteransclubinc.org/
Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?h...
https://ianbick.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Combat Veteran Who Built a Nonprofit — Then Got Sent to Federal Prison — Jeremy's Full Story
00:36 His Difficult Childhood and the Family Dynamics That Shaped Everything
03:40 His Relationship With His Father and the Family Cycles That Defined His Early Years
07:12 His Mother's Struggles and the Family Hardship That Followed
08:19 His Early Passions and What Drove Him Toward a Life of Service
10:54 Choosing a Positive Path Despite Everything Working Against Him
13:54 Joining the Military in 1999 and What That Decision Really Meant
15:54 Boot Camp — the Expectations and the Reality That Followed
18:16 Graduating Boot Camp and the Transition to Advanced Training
23:21 The Sense of Purpose He Found After Boot Camp
25:01 His Deployment After 9/11 and What Heading to Iraq Really Looked Like
27:37 Life and Work Inside Iraq Detention Centers and What That World Required
29:56 The Prisoners the Conditions and the Lessons He Learned From Iraq
33:41 The Key Lessons From Combat and the Life Long Bonds That Followed
37:23 Returning Home — the Reentry Struggles and the PTSD Nobody Prepared Him For
43:31 Coping Relationships and What Seeking Help After Combat Really Looked Like
49:01 Post Military Life — UPS Banking and the Career Struggles That Followed
53:35 Medical Retirement and the Birth of His Veteran Nonprofit
55:02 Building a Successful Veteran Nonprofit and What That Mission Really Required
56:57 The Federal Indictment — the Accusations and the Confusion That Followed
01:00:01 The Legal Fight and the Federal Trial Challenges That Defined His Case
01:07:13 The Trial the Sentencing and the Aftermath That Changed Everything
01:17:34 Entering Federal Prison and What Those First Days Really Required
01:23:41 Life in Prison — His Adjustment and How He Continued Serving Others Inside
01:36:12 The Halfway House and the Complex Prison Release Process
01:44:51 His Post Prison Life and the Pursuit of Clemency That Continues
01:52:16 Continuing the Fight — His Legal Battles and Advocacy Work
02:10:15 The Lessons He Learned the Silver Linings He Found and His Hope for the Future
02:14:49 His Impact on Veterans and the Final Reflections He Wants Everyone to Hear
To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/Locked...