SANDY, Utah — In January 2025, a ceremony was held at the Gold Star Monument in Sandy, where U.S. Marine Corps veteran Nickolas White was presented with a service dog to help with his PTSD.
The service dog had been provided and trained by the SSGT Taylor Hoover Foundation, a non-profit organization run by the Utah family of a Marine killed during a 2021 attack in Afghanistan. In requesting help with a service dog, White shared how he had been involved in an operation near where Hoover had died while serving his country.
There was one big problem: It was all a lie. White was never a Marine, nor was he a veteran, and had never served in any branch of the U.S. military.
Following an investigation, White, 46, has now been charged with Theft by Deception after the foundation claimed it had cost $5,100 to purchase and train the dog, as well as transport it to Utah, for a man who had allegedly lied about his service.
According to the indictment against him, White admitted to lying about serving in the military, but claimed the service dog provided by the Hoover Foundation was a "house-warming gift."
Utah Marine among those killed in Afghanistan attack:
However, text messages between White and Hoover's sister allegedly show that the dog was intended to be a PTSD service dog. The SSGT Taylor Hoover Foundation provides. free of charge, service and funding to veterans, including the placement of service dogs.
Hoover was a 2008 graduate of Hillcrest High School in Midvale and began serving in the Marines at 19.
"You are the best woman for the job," White texted Hoover's sister. "You are carrying on his legacy, and I know he's very proud of you.”
During the investigation, the Sandy Police Department contacted the Veterans Health Administration, where records were unable to turn up any evidence that White had served in the military.
