According to FBI court filings, the two individuals reportedly purported to be employees of the Department of Homeland Security starting in February 2020.
WASHINGTON, D.C, The FBI arrested two males in southeast Washington, D.C., on suspicion of impersonating federal agents in order to gain favour with the United States’ law enforcement and defence communities.
According to court documents, Arian Taherzadeh, 40, and Haider Ali, 35, purported to be federal agents beginning in February 2020 and convinced real government officials that their work was legitimate.
Secret Service personnel assigned to the White House, including one in first lady Jill Biden’s protection detail, were among those they reportedly deceived.
The FBI said in a filing in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia that four Secret Service agents had been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation. It’s unknown if the agent assigned to the first lady was among those who were put on leave.
In a statement released Thursday morning, the Secret Service said, “All personnel involved in this matter are on administrative leave and are restricted from accessing Secret Service facilities, equipment, and systems. The Secret Service adheres to the highest levels of professional standards and conduct and will remain in active coordination with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.”
According to the complaint, Taherzadeh provided Secret Service agents and a DHS employee with free apartments worth more than $40,000 per year, as well as iPhones, surveillance equipment, a drone, a flat-screen television, a generator, law enforcement paraphernalia, and a case for storing an assault rifle.
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