Two men allegedly impersonated federal agents to get access to Secret Service

Two men have been arrested for allegedly impersonating federal agents over the course of several years. The FBI alleges that Arian Taherzadeh, 40, and Haider Ali, 36, have been pretending to be various officers and employees of the U.S. government, including members of federal law enforcement agencies, since February 2020.

The two allegedly obtained paraphernalia, handguns and assault rifles used by federal law enforcement agencies. The FBI claims they used their false associations with the U.S. government "to ingratiate themselves with members of federal law enforcement and the defense community."

Taherzadeh, pretending to be a member of the Department of Homeland Security, provided U.S. Secret Service members and a DHS employee with rent-free apartments, "iPhones, surveillance systems, a drone, a flat screen television, a case for storing an assault rifle, a generator, and law enforcement paraphernalia," FBI Special Agent David Elias wrote in an affidavit.