(FeaturedNews.com) – Two men posed as federal law enforcement officers for two years before authorities caught on. Arian Taherzadeh and Haider Ali lived in a building inhabited by various members of the law enforcement community. They told people they worked for the Department of Homeland Security, and nobody questioned it.
‘Mindboggling’: Fake federal agents deceived the Secret Service for 2 years https://t.co/yZKS2e0Clb
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 18, 2022
According to Washington Post investigative correspondent Carol Leonnig, during an interview on MSNBC on April 16, the US Postal Service inspector began looking into a luxury apartment building in the Navy Yard area in March due to an assault accusation. During the inquiry, the inspector came across Ali and Taherzadeh because people said they might be witnesses to the alleged assault. The discovery of the men’s false claims of being law enforcement led to the FBI raiding the apartment building, where they found police weapons and other equipment.
Prosecutors allege the men befriended Secret Service agents and gave them free apartments and gifts. They said the men obtained police weapons and equipment to aid in their scheme, which prosecutors say was potentially a threat to national security. Both men face charges of impersonating law enforcement.
Taherzadeh’s defense says his actions were motivated by a desire to make friends, and the man never asked for any favors or anything else in return. Ali’s defense says Taherzadeh fooled him, leading him to believe he was indeed a special agent.
According to the New York Post, US Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey released the men to home confinement on April 13 after ruling they didn’t pose a flight risk. They both left in the custody of family members and will wear GPS monitors.
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