By Steve Neavling
A man who impersonated federal agents and lavished Secret Service agents with gifts to scam his way into free housing and other benefits, was sentenced Friday to 33 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release.
Arian Taherzadeh, 41, pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy, voyeurism and unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device in August 2022.
Taherzadeh had faced up to 51 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines but received leniency after cooperating with prosecutors to secure the conviction of his co-conspirator Haider Ali, 38. Ali was sentenced to 68 months in prison earlier this year.
Taherzadeh and Ali created a private law enforcement and investigative service called the United States Special Police and masqueraded as federal agents with Homeland Security, according to prosecutors.
The men were accused of possessing an illegal magazine for a Glock firearm, and Taherzadeh had five illegal magazines for a Sig Sauer firearm.
They are accused of falsely claiming they worked for Homeland Security and were on a special task force investigating gang and violence connected to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The pair allegedly posed as law enforcement in order to build a relationship with real agents.
Taherzadeh gave Secret Service officers and agents rent-free apartments, surveillance systems, a drone, a TV, iPhones, a generator, a gun case and other policing equipment, according to prosecutors. Taherzadeh is also accused of offering to buy a $2,000 assault rifle for a Secret Service agent assigned to protect the first lady.
Four Secret Service agents who associated with the pair were placed on leave pending an investigation.
