Stand With the Harrell Family
Help Our Family Rebuild and Keep Fighting for Justice
My name is Erin Harrell, and I am Jeremy Harrell’s wife.
For years, I have watched a federal prosecution change our family’s life.
I watched my husband lose his freedom. I watched our children lose precious time with their father. I watched income, savings and opportunities disappear. And I watched our family spend and lose hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I experienced the financial consequences myself, even though I was never charged with a crime and had no involvement in Jeremy’s case.
Our family and thousands of people who know Jeremy, have followed his case and have stood beside him believe Jeremy was wrongfully convicted.
He has served his sentence. But our fight is not over.
Today, I am asking for your help.
Before the Case, There Was a Life of Service
Jeremy is a United States Army combat veteran who served our country in Iraq.
After coming home, he continued serving.
He dedicated years of his life to veterans and their families and founded Veterans Club, Inc., building programs and a community to help veterans facing difficult circumstances.
He became a recognized veterans advocate, nonprofit leader and public voice for veterans and their families.
As his wife, however, I remember something more important than awards or recognition.
I remember the veterans who called. The families who needed help. The people Jeremy advocated for. And the countless hours he gave to others.
Long before Jeremy needed people in his corner, he spent years standing in other people’s.
Then everything changed.
We Believe Jeremy Was Wrongfully Convicted
Jeremy was federally prosecuted, convicted and incarcerated.
Our family believes Jeremy was wrongfully convicted, and we are not alone.
Many veterans, friends, supporters, community leaders and advocates have continued standing behind him.
Jeremy’s case was high-profile and public from the beginning. Because he had already spent years as a visible leader in the veteran and nonprofit community, his prosecution unfolded under significant public scrutiny.
The public saw the case and the headlines.
I lived what those headlines could never show.
I watched our children prepare to lose time with their father. I watched our finances change and opportunities disappear.
Then came a moment I will never forget.
Our Last Hug
I stood outside a federal prison knowing my husband was about to walk through those doors and I would leave without him.
Right before Jeremy walked inside, we held each other one last time.
Our last hug before Jeremy walked into federal prison.
When we let go, he walked inside.
The case had Jeremy’s name on it. But our entire family lived the consequences.
Our children did not choose any of this. Yet they lost time with their father that no amount of money can return.
You can calculate financial losses.
You cannot calculate the value of lost time between a father and his children.
The Financial Toll Has Been Enormous
The financial impact on our family has been staggering.
Jeremy’s case resulted in approximately:
$207,000 in restitution
$108,000 in forfeiture
That is approximately $315,000 in court-ordered financial judgments alone.
That does not include years of legal expenses, lost income, lost professional and business opportunities, government collection, the financial consequences of incarceration and the continuing cost of fighting for relief.
Our family has spent and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
And the consequences reached me directly.
After Jeremy was incarcerated, the government took thousands from our joint bank account.
Jeremy was incarcerated and was not earning and depositing income into that account.
The money being deposited was mine.
I was never charged. I was never a defendant.
Yet I paid a financial price too.
That garnishment is one example of a painful reality we have learned firsthand:
A prosecution against one person can financially devastate an entire family.
A Public Fight Reaches Millions More
Jeremy’s story was public long before social media made it viral.
But recently, millions of new people began hearing his side.
A clip from Jeremy’s appearance on Locked In with Ian Bick went viral, reaching millions of views and generating thousands of comments, reactions and shares.
The viral response did not make Jeremy’s case public.
It introduced millions of new people to a fight that had already been public for years.
Watch Jeremy tell his story:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GVAmfB5j8/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Some of you have followed Jeremy for years. Others know him through his work with veterans. And some may be hearing his name for the first time.
However you arrived here, thank you for hearing our family’s side.
Behind the court proceedings, headlines and millions of views is something very real:
A husband. A father. A combat veteran. A family. And a fight for justice that continues today.
He Came Home. And He Kept Going.
Jeremy served his sentence and eventually came home.
He came home determined not to allow prison or a federal conviction to define the rest of his life.
Today, Jeremy continues rebuilding, serving others and speaking publicly. He also continues pursuing the legal and clemency avenues available to him.
We still believe Jeremy was wrongfully convicted. And we are still fighting.
Why I Am Asking for $250,000
Asking for help is difficult.
Jeremy spent years being the person other people called when they needed help.
Today, I am asking people to help him and our family.
The financial impact of this case already extends far beyond our $250,000 fundraising goal.
Your contributions will help us address the financial losses our family has sustained, continuing legal and post-conviction expenses, lawful advocacy expenses, lost household income and the work of rebuilding our financial stability.
This fundraiser cannot return the years we lost.
It cannot return the time our children lost with their father.
But it can help our family rebuild what comes next.
Will You Stand With Us?
You do not have to know Jeremy personally to make a difference.
Maybe you are a veteran or part of a military family. Maybe someone you love has experienced incarceration. Maybe you believe our justice system can get things wrong. Maybe Jeremy’s story reached you online.
Or maybe you simply believe a family that has spent years fighting deserves some help getting back on its feet.
If 10,000 people give $25, we reach our $250,000 goal.
If you can give, please help us.
If you cannot, please share this campaign and Jeremy’s story.
And if you are a person of faith, please pray for our family.
From My Heart
I know the man I married.
I knew him before this case. I stood beside him through it. I gave him our last hug before he walked into federal prison.
I watched our children live without their father.
I watched our family absorb financial losses that changed our lives.
And I watched Jeremy come home and refuse to quit.
He is a combat veteran, husband and father who spent years helping veterans and families when they needed someone.
Now I am asking people to stand with him.
Our family and so many others believes Jeremy was wrongfully convicted.
We cannot change what the last several years have taken from us.
But we refuse to let them take our future too.
For years, Jeremy stood in other people’s corners.
Today, I am asking you to stand in ours.
Help our family rebuild. Help us keep fighting for justice.
Thank you for giving, sharing, praying and standing with our family.
— Erin
