Man who posed as agent and provided presents to Secret Service sentenced to almost 3 years
A person accused of pretending to be a federal agent and providing presents and free flats to Secret Service officers has been sentenced to almost three years in jail.
Arian Taherzadeh, 41, was sentenced to 33 months in jail Friday. He and a second man, Haider Ali, had been indicted in April 2022, accused of tricking precise Secret Service officers, providing costly flats and presents to curry favor with legislation enforcement brokers, together with one agent assigned to guard the primary girl, prosecutors stated.
Ali, 36, was sentenced in August to over 5 years. Attorneys for the 2 didn’t instantly reply to messages searching for remark Monday.
Prosecutors alleged Taherzadeh falsely claimed, at varied occasions, to be an agent with the Department of Homeland Security, a former U.S. Air Marshal, and a former U.S. Army Ranger. He used his supposed law-enforcement work to trick homeowners of three residence complexes into letting him use a number of flats and parking areas for faux operations, the Justice Department stated in a press release.
Taherzadeh pleaded responsible to conspiracy, a federal offense, in addition to two District of Columbia offenses: illegal possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding machine and voyeurism. He was additionally ordered to pay restitution of greater than $700,000.
The case was thrust into the general public highlight when greater than a dozen FBI brokers raided a luxurious residence constructing in southwest Washington in April 2022. They discovered a cache of drugs, together with physique armor, weapons and surveillance gear, in addition to a binder with details about the constructing’s residents, prosecutors stated. Taherzadeh additionally put in surveillance cameras in his residence and made express content material that he confirmed to others, prosecutors stated.
Taherzadeh offered Secret Service officers and brokers with rent-free flats – together with a penthouse price over $40,000 a 12 months – in addition to electronics, authorities stated. In one occasion, Taherzadeh provided to buy a $2,000 assault rifle for a Secret Service agent who’s assigned to guard the primary girl, prosecutors stated.
The plot unraveled when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service started investigating an assault involving a mail service on the residence constructing and the boys recognized themselves as being a part of a phony Homeland Security unit they referred to as the U.S. Special Police Investigation Unit.
Taherzadeh’s lawyer has beforehand stated he offered the posh flats and lavish presents as a result of he wished to be buddies with the brokers, not attempt to compromise them.
