Washington (Times Of Ocean)- Two men were arrested in Washington DC on Wednesday for posing as Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and gifting Secret Service agents lavish handouts in an effort to gain access to them.
Haider Ali, 36, and Arian Taherzadeh, 40, posed as members of a fake Department of Homeland Security task force investigating violence connected to a riot at the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the government said.
As part of their scam, the suspects provided Secret Service agents with rent-free luxury apartments, high-end electronics, and policing equipment.
Prosecutors say one of the duped agents worked on Jill Biden’s security detail and was offered a $2,000 assault rifle by Taherzadeh.
An agent allegedly obtained a penthouse apartment that rented for over $40,000 per year from the suspects.
Officials said four Secret Service members were placed on leave in connection with the investigation.
Postal inspectors became suspicious after an attack on an apartment building mail carrier, and Taherzadeh and Ali claimed to belong to an ill-defined federal unit.
According to investigators, alleged fake federal agents had also set up surveillance in the building, telling other residents that they could view their personal information and cellphones.
More than a dozen FBI agents raided the luxury building in Southeast DC on Wednesday evening.
Two men arrested for pretending to be federal agents
