By Steve Neavling
A second man accused of impersonating federal agents and providing expensive gifts to Secret Service officers and agents pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple charges.
Haidar Ali, 36, pleaded guilty to conspiring to impersonate a federal officer, bank fraud and other charges, NBC News reports.
Ali’s co-defendant pleaded guilty in August to similar charges.
Taherzadeh and his co-defendant Haider 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 are 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 have been placed on leave pending an investigation.
“It was a purpose of the conspiracy for Ali to ingratiate himself with members of federal law enforcement and the defense community” and “to enrich himself by obtaining property by fraudulent pretenses including through a false affiliation with the federal law enforcement community,” according to a court filing.
