A Washington DC man who faked being a federal agent to scam his way into $800,000 worth of real estate has decided to cooperate with the feds.
Arian Taherzadeh, 40, pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy offense in addition to local charges of unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device and voyeurism, the Department of Justice announced Monday.
Taherzadeh and his accused cohort Haider Sher-Ali, 35, created a fake covert law enforcement agency called the United States Special Police and made phony police credentials.
He also stockpiled tactical gear, weapons, ammunition, and surveillance equipment, officials said.
On different occasions between 2018 and this spring, Taherzadeh falsely claimed to be a former Army Ranger, US Marshal and Homeland Security agent as part of a scheme to coerce three apartment complex owners into giving him multiple rent-free apartments and parking spaces for his made-up agency, according to prosecutors.
Taherzadeh then gifted weapons and stolen real estate to Secret Service agents “because it deepened their relationship and furthered his ability to impersonate himself as a federal law enforcement officer,” prosecutors said.
Two Secret Service members accepted a year’s worth of free apartments worth almost $90,000, according to the DOJ. Four agents were placed on leave in connection with the investigation.
One of the duped agents was a member of first lady Jill Biden’s security detail, prosecutors said. Agents tasked with protecting President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were also reportedly implicated.
Taherzadeh also used his surveillance equipment to clandestinely “record women engaged in sexual activity” and shared the footage with other people, according to officials.
The elaborate ruse was uncovered when Taherzadeh identified himself as a USSP agent to postal inspectors looking into a mail carrier attack at his apartment complex in April, the feds said.
A sentencing date for the admitted con artist had not yet been set. Sher-Ali has pleaded not guilty in connection with the case.
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