Two men were charged with posing as Department of Homeland Security agents and pretending to be Secret Service personnel who were assigned to protect the first lady and the White House.
One of the men admitted after his arrest that he had impersonated a DHS agent and had lied to others about being a former U.S. Army Ranger.
The co-conspirator in the case, 35-year-old Hader Ali, funded most of their day-to-day operations at the Crossing on First Street apartment complex.
The filing said that Ali had obtained the electronic access codes and a list of the tenants in the apartment complex. Tenants can enter their apartments and use elevators with the access codes.
The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia said that the men were pretending to be Homeland Security agents.
Evidence photos regarding Taherzadeh and Ali impersonating Federal Agents submitted by the D.O.J.The men, who are US citizens, pose a danger to the community because of their use and possession of firearms and other weaponry, according to the filing.
The filing says that Ali has traveled to Iran, Pakistan, and other places and that he has connections to Pakistan's intelligence agency.
Ali obtained two 90-day visas from Iran and traveled there twice before the charged activity began.
In February 2020 he applied for a concealed weapons permit, but was denied due to his prior history of violence and instability, which included two cases in which he was charged with assault.
There are photos of handguns, bullets, body armor, brass knuckles, fingerprints, lock picking tools, and a box of documents with profiles of various people that were seized Wednesday at the men's apartments in a building in Southeast Washington.
In one document, the customer information is listed as Secret Service US with fake and fictitious names.
Evidence photos regarding Taherzadeh and Ali impersonating Federal Agents submitted by the D.O.J.Prosecutors say that while they were claiming to be law enforcement agents involved in covert operations for DHS, they compromised the United States Secret Service by giving them gifts and access to the White House.
The defendants lived in two of the five apartments.
The defendants are not employed by the United States government.
They were able to convince other government employees of their false identities.
Four Secret Service personnel have been placed on leave.
Evidence photos regarding Taherzadeh and Ali impersonating Federal Agents submitted by the D.O.J.The Secret Service has not said if any of the agents who were placed on leave were assigned to the protective detail of the vice president.
According to the filing, the man pleaded guilty to assault and battery of his wife in Virginia.
He was arrested in Fairfax County, Va. and charged with assault and battery on his girlfriend. According to the filing, he was charged for violating a protective order.
This conduct shows an inability to abide by the law and conditions that the court may impose.
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