Talley-Bradley initially told the sources that the FBI was conducting a stolen-valor investigation into Mills, a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division who has been accused of lying about his background and falsely claiming to have been an elite Army Ranger.
Later, Talley-Bradley changed the story, saying the investigation now focused on Mills’ business dealings, multiple sources told Blaze News. Mills founded two companies active in overseas arms trading and owns a third that sells “less lethal” munitions for law enforcement and military applications.
Blaze News approached Talley-Bradley outside an event in Ocoee, Florida, and asked about Cory Mills and her alleged investigation. She repeatedly said she had “no idea” what we were “talking about.”
Although several of the sources provided Talley-Bradley with contact information for at least five individuals with direct knowledge of Mills’ military service and his work for a State Department security contractor, they said Talley-Bradley never followed up or conducted interviews with four of those people.
‘Agent found to be operating outside the scope of their assigned duties would be open to an investigation by the Office of Professional Responsibility.’
Talley-Bradley might have violated FBI protocols in the interviews by apparently not recording phone calls for the purpose of creating investigative documents known as Form 302s, not taking notes during the interviews, visiting a source’s home with no other agent present, often communicating via text, and telling sources not to send documents to her official FBI email.
The agent’s frequent queries and unusual behavior led two Blaze News sources to suspect that they were the real targets of the FBI probe. At one point in the Blaze News investigation, one of the sources, fearful of being targeted, asked to withdraw information he provided to Blaze News for a series of stories that began May 7.
Steve Friend, a former FBI special agent in the bureau’s Daytona Beach Resident Agency, said any investigation targeting a member of Congress would be a “Sensitive Investigative Matter,” requiring several layers of approval at the highest levels of the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice.
“This is a SIM. No way phone and email interviews would be done,” Friend told Blaze News. “They are allowed, but only in rare situations. In-person would be attempted. And never text messages.”
While it’s not unusual for FBI agents to conduct a more casual interview without recording or taking notes, several former FBI special agents told Blaze News, if the investigation involves a congressman, more stringent rules apply.
Frederick W. Humphries II, a retired former supervisory special agent of the FBI, told Blaze News, “An agent found to be operating outside the scope of their assigned duties would be open to an investigation by the Office of Professional Responsibility. Upon OPR review, recommendations can range from a formal letter of censure, to suspension without pay, to removal from the rolls of the FBI.”
Humphries said that in 2017, FBI agents were told to stop investigating stolen valor complaints unless they involved allegations that stolen valor was used as a tool in fundraising fraud.
In 2013, 18 U.S. Code § 704 was amended to punish those who fraudulently claim to be recipients of military decorations or medals “with the intent to obtain money, property or other tangible benefit.” The crime is a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of one year in jail.
Blaze News Investigation
Mills has come under recent scrutiny for his claims about his military service, his employment as a security contractor in Iraq, his religious faith, and his year-long relationship with an Iranian-American activist while still married, among other issues.
The investigation started when BlazeTV host Jill Savage, also an active member of Blaze News’ investigative team, started looking into Mills’ record following reports of a domestic disturbance call by his girlfriend at his house in February 2025. This led to confirmation of Mills’s curious marriage certificate and reports of stolen valor.
Blaze News initially reported on Mills’ 2014 marriage to Rana Al Saadi that took place at the terror-tied Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Virginia, before they started an international arms business together.
In a 50-minute call with Blaze News, Mills said he has always been Christian and went forward with the marriage in a mosque to ensure that his wife would be safe visiting a dying relative in Iraq.
A follow-up article from Blaze News reported that five people have now claimed that Mills told them directly that he converted to Islam around the time of his marriage.
These former co-workers and fellow veterans accused Mills of stolen valor, saying Mills falsely claimed to be an Army Ranger medic and an experienced military sniper.
In March, Savage listened to a “Green Beret Chronicles” podcast on Mills featuring William Kern, a Houston-based former U.S. Marine counter-sniper who worked with Mills at DynCorp carrying out protective missions in Iraq, and Bobby Oller, a former 82nd Airborne paratrooper, squad leader, and master gunner who served in Afghanistan and as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After she reached out to them for Blaze News, she and the investigative team began to contact others.
These former co-workers and fellow veterans accused Mills of stolen valor, saying Mills falsely claimed to be an Army Ranger medic and an experienced military sniper. They also said Mills’ nomination form for a Bronze Star medal contained false information. Mills wrongly claimed to have been “blown up” twice while working for security contractor DynCorp in the Middle East, multiple sources told Blaze News.
In his call with Blaze News, Mills denied the accusations of stolen valor. When asked why he thought these accusations were being made by others who were there, he said: “They’re entitled to have a different recollection. And some of them, obviously, I didn’t have a great relationship with, and I’m sure some are probably disgruntled.”
He also accused Blaze News of writing a hit piece and threatened legal action.
