Hasford had a tough life after the war, notwithstanding the success of his novel and the film (which he co-wrote with Kubrick and Michael Herr). He died in penury, having done time for book theft. Here's the Wikipedia account (which alludes to his nomination for an Academy Award -- he skipped the ceremony because he was fighting with his co-authors over the credit):

n 1985, Hasford had borrowed 98 books from the Sacramento, California, public library but never returned them. An arrest warrant for misdemeanor grand theft was issued, but local authorities were unable to find him.[7] In March 1988, shortly before the Academy Awards ceremony, campus police from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, found nearly 10,000 library books in his rented storage locker. At that time, he had 87 overdue books and five years of Civil War Times magazine issues checked out from the Cal Poly-SLO library; the materials were initially valued at $3,000 (they were later revalued at $20,000).[8]

Hasford's book collection included books borrowed (and never returned) from dozens of libraries across the United States, from libraries in Australia and the United Kingdom, and, allegedly, books taken from the homes of acquaintances. Among them were 19th-century books on Edgar Allan Poe and the American Civil War. Hasford had obtained borrowing privileges at Cal Poly-SLO as a California resident, using the residential address of a motel near campus and a false Social Security number.[7][9]

In June 1988, he was charged with two counts of grand theft and ten counts of possession of stolen property.[10] Judge Harry Woolpert of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court scheduled the trial hearings to begin on December 5.[11] During the trial, Hasford rearranged to plead guilty to possession of stolen property. On January 4, 1989, Hasford was sentenced to six months' imprisonment (of which he served three months) and promised to pay $1,100 in restitution from the royalties of his future works. He was also ordered to pay the shipping costs for the return of 748 books to nine libraries throughout the United States.[12][13]

In a form letter addressed to friends and family, Hasford claimed that he wanted the books to research a never-published book on the Civil War. He described his difficulties as "a vicious attack launched against me by Moral Majority fanatics backed up by the full power of the Fascist State."[14]