In his first interview since completing his sentence, Jeremy Harrell says he did nothing criminal- and he's asking President Trump to agree.

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Jeremy Harrell isn't backing down.

Fresh off completing six months of home confinement following his federal conviction for theft of government benefits, the founder of Veterans Club Inc. sat down for his first interview- and made one thing clear: he believes he was wrongfully convicted.

"I don't think there's anything worse than being wrongfully convicted," Harrell told me this week, after formally requesting a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump. "The hardest part was to see where it said the United States of America versus Jeremy Harrell. I've given so much for this country... it felt strange to be considered an enemy of the very country that you swore to defend."

It's a stark contrast to how federal prosecutors described the case. They said Harrell "intentionally stole money from the United States"- more than $128,000 in disability payments meant for veterans unable to work- all while actively running a thriving nonprofit with a budget exceeding $400,000 and managing some 6,000 volunteers.

But Harrell's story- and his conviction- reveals something more complicated than a simple case of fraud. It's a collision between a rigid benefits system, a veteran trying to rebuild his life through service, and questions about what "work" really means.