(John Ransom, Headline USA) Four US Secret Service agents, including one that was on the First Lady’s protective detail, have been suspended after being accused of taking gifts from two people who pretended to be Homeland Security investigators.
Arian Taherzadeh and Haider Ali were both accused of impersonating federal law enforcement officers, and gave the suspended Secret Service agents gifts including free rent and the offer of a purchase of a $2000 high powered rifle, according to Newsweek.
Absolutely wild story. “In one instance, Taherzadeh offered to purchase a $2,000 assault rifle for a Secret Service agent who is assigned to protect the first lady. Prosecutors said four Secret Service employees were placed on leave this week as part of the investigation.” https://t.co/8T24AnI900
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) April 7, 2022
“All personnel involved in this matter are on administrative leave and are restricted from accessing Secret Service facilities, equipment and systems,” the Secret Service said in a statement Wednesday night, according to ABC News.
“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,”
The free rent alone totaled $40,000, plus there were other gifts like an iPhone, surveillance systems, drones and other law enforcement paraphernalia.
To further their fraud, the pair had photos of themselves with law-enforcement materials, including uniforms and a phony certificate from the Department of Homeland Security computer and Federal Training Center.
The two imposters had set up a surveillance system in the toney Navy Yard apartment complex in Washington, D.C., where resident suspect that they had access to all of the personal information of the residents, said ABC Audio.
It took a United States Postal Inspector to finally bust the pair, after they had witnessed an assault and were interviewed by postal inspector agents.
“The USPIS Inspector provided this information to the DHS Office of Inspector General, which then referred the information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for further investigation. It was at this point that the FBI began its investigation, which corroborated the statements of residents obtained by the USPIS Inspector,” court documents said, according to ABC Audio.
