I Survived Combat in Iraq — Came Home & Built a Nonprofit — Then the Feds Sent Me to Prison

Jeremy Harrell built a veteran nonprofit but was sent to federal prison for volunteering unpaid while receiving VA disability benefits.

• Childhood background — Grew up amid poverty, domestic violence, and family instability in Louisville with a bipolar mother and absent father [00:37]

• Military deployment — Served 16 months in Iraq at detention centers like Camp Bucca after enlisting in 1999, forming intense bonds through shared suffering [37:24]

• Nonprofit creation — Launched Veterans Club in 2019 as an unpaid volunteer CEO to aid veterans with PTSD, growing it into a top national organization [54:13]

• Federal charges — Indicted in 2023 for theft of government funds despite no regulation banning volunteering, leading to a five-day trial [55:59]

• Court result — Convicted after jury deliberation in under two hours, then sentenced to six months prison plus six months home confinement and $27,000 restitution [1:22:25]

• What sentence did the judge impose on the veteran nonprofit founder?

• How much restitution was ordered in the case?