US: 2 posed as agents, gave gifts to Secret Service officers

[Zorro]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged two men they say were posing as federal agents, giving free apartments and other gifts to U.S. Secret Service agents, including one who worked on the first lady’s security detail.

The two men — Arian Taherzadeh, 40, and Haider Ali, 36 — were taken into custody as more than a dozen FBI agents charged into a luxury apartment building in Southeast Washington on Wednesday evening.

Prosecutors allege Taherzadeh and Ali had falsely claimed to work for the Department of Homeland Security and work on a special task force investigating gang and violence connected to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. They allege the two posed as law enforcement officers to integrate with actual federal agents.

Taherzadeh is accused of providing Secret Service officers and agents with rent-free apartments — including a penthouse worth over $40,000 a year — along with iPhones, surveillance systems, a drone, flat screen television, a generator, gun case and other policing tools, according to court documents.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/us-secret-service-956062f32e02854112b7c52794d202b2

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Something fishy here.

[onecaliberal]

1. What?

[dalton99a]

2. Arian Taherzadeh:

[IronLionZion]

18. Dude has an Iranian name

[bottomofthehill]

3. CAT Unit, nice

Pretending to be a counter assault team member. What the fuck were these guys up to.

[dalton99a]

4. +1. And who is financing them?

Taherzadeh is accused of providing Secret Service officers and agents with rent-free apartments — including a penthouse worth over $40,000 a year — along with iPhones, surveillance systems, a drone, flat screen television, a generator, gun case and other policing tools, according to court documents.

He also offered to let them use a black GMC SUV that he identified as an “official government vehicle,” prosecutors say. In one instance, Taherzadeh offered to purchase a $2,000 assault rifle for a Secret Service agent who is assigned to protect the first lady.

[bottomofthehill]

5. There is a lot of cash in the gear they are showing too

4 Pelican cases close to about a grand, the weapons inside them, maybe a long sentence in DC.

Seriously, who was spending a lot of money and for what.

[Cheezoholic]

6. If current First Lady we gotta problem

If prior first whatever jacket wearin' nft bimbo, we gotta problem

[rockfordfile]

11. What?

[aeromanKC]

7. A shadow security force

[Midnight Writer]

8. Gee, I wonder how the cops figured this one out?

[Warpy]

9. Following the money will be a barrel of laughs

but that's what they'll need to do because something tells me those guys won't talk.

Obviously, they were looking for agents they could turn, lots of cop bling to suck them in and blackmail to keep them there.

[thenelm1]

10. There doesn't seem to be any mention of the timeframe for this (or I missed it).

Over the last year or during the TFG admin? A plot to get dirt on Biden and/or TFG? Just a couple of wannabes? Or a scheme to get close to either for an assassination attempt? You're right, something is very fishy here.

[bottomofthehill]

13. Looks like the investigation was just the last few weeks

But the op for much longer. They are citing a years worth of free penthouse use among other things.

Looks like the investigation started March 14.

[rockfordfile]

12. Sounds like a assassination attempt

Which country funded them?

[DENVERPOPS]

14. Gotta wonder if it was a set up

by Republicans or Trumphumpers to get some crap on the Biden's "dirty dealings".........

At any rate, this matter stinks to high heaven........

I'll bet the Secret Service is keeping an eye on Trump's SS detail, and watching those SS's agents political leanings.......

I think I recall that Biden, first thing after the innaguration, immediately got several SS agents that were protecting during the Trump White House, out of the White House detail and assigned elsewhere.............

[onetexan]

33. It was actually late 2020 when MoJoe's security detail was changed & agents were switched out

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/31/joe-biden-secret-service-team-trump-loyalty

I'd imagine it was soon after the election was called. I remember it well, worried & prayed everyday Goodness would keep Prez Biden & his family safe, both from covid & the crazies, since the country desperately needs him.

[DENVERPOPS]

35. Thx

for the info!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[summer_in_TX]

15. Whoa.

Worse case scenario: assassination of the President.
Next worst: discrediting the work of the J6 Commission?

[PoliticAverse]

16. You would think one of the agents would have used their resources..

to check up on these individuals.

[Hekate]

20. Maybe they did. Anyhow, I hope so.

[chowder66]

17. Well at least this rooted out those that can be bought.

[stopdiggin]

19. and - charges against agents ACCEPTING ???

Jeezus H.!! This is soooo sloppy. Security anybody?

[Princess Turandot]

21. According to WaPo, they were discovered when the US Postal Services received a complaint..

..about a mail carrier being assaulted while at the housing complex where the apartments are. While an inspector was doing a routine canvas of residents re: the complaint, some of them mentioned that there were 2 Homeland Security agents from a special unit who had several apartments in the building, who might be able to help them.

The inspector also somehow learned about the 'special agents' generosity, and reported that up-the-line to DHS, who in turn reported the situation to the FBI.

The apartment leasing went back to 2/2021, but they found evidence that they had been impersonating federal agents since early 2020. The article had no information as to motive.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/04/06/fbi-investigation-navy-yard/
________________________________________________________________________________

We seem to be living in a Tom Clancy novel these days.

[riversedge]

25. 'impersonating federal agents since early 2020. ' WHOW. This stuff has been

going on for a long time!

[onetexan]

34. since TFG came down the escalator we've been somewhere between the twilight zone & a Clancy novel

[Ocelot II]

22. WTF? How does that happen?

And what will be done with those agents?

[True Blue American]

26. With the Trump gang in office

We have to ask? It was clear the grifting was going on top to bottle. It would not surprise me that is was not out in the open. Monkey see, monkey do!

It will take a generation to cleAr the muck out of Government. I am pretty sure that is why so many Tepublican Senators are now retiring.

A woman just won a seat from a Wisconsin false elector by promising she would do nothing like that. I think the loser was named Ruh.

[PSPS]

23. More info

A CBS write-up has more detail and finishes with this:

In a statement to CBS News, the U.S. Secret Service said it "has worked, and continues to work, with its law enforcement partners in this ongoing investigation."

"All personnel involved in this matter are on administrative leave and are restricted from accessing Secret Service facilities, equipment and systems," it said. "The Secret Service adheres to the highest levels of professional standards and conduct and will remain in active coordination with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security."

Read it all here: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arian-taherzadeh-haider-ali-accused-of-impersonating-federal-agents/

[brachism]

24. Ari Taherzadeh?

*** DISCLAIMER: I cannot confirm 100% this is the same person. The last name isn't common in the United States. ***

So doing a quick search on Arian Taherzadeh, the information was oddly limited. Checking one of my common references, country-wide the closest was "Ari Taherzadeh." This name had three entries all in the DC area.

Simple Google search turned up an Ari Taherzadeh on Quora. Four of his last five questions, albeit all 2 to 3 years ago, where to say the least "interesting."

Ari Taherzadeh - 2y ago
What is the standard issue firearm for a CIA officer and FBI agent?
In 2016 it was announced that the FBI was switching from the .40 to the 9x19mm round, and at that, was switching to the Glock 17, Glock 19 and Glock 26 as its primary

Ari Taherzadeh - 2y ago
What handgun does Secret Service carry?
Since 1999, USSS agents have carried the Sig Sauer P229 chambered in .357 SIG. …

Ari Taherzadeh - 3y ago
Can the Secret Service go on strike?
The 1978 Civil Service Reform Act bars collective bargaining among the CIA, FBI, NSA, and Secret Service employees. So, short answer: there is no way that they could go on a legal strike.
Profile photo for Ari Taherzadeh

Ari Taherzadeh - 3y ago
What is the typical weapon the Secret Service carries when providing close protection for the vice president?
Since 1999, the current standard sidearm issued to Secret Service agents has been the Sig Sauer P229 DAK chambered in the .357 Sig round. This round was developed to mimic the firepower of .357 Magnum loadings in a semiautomatic pistol by essentially

There were a number of other oddity but posting that information might violate DU rules regarding personal data.

-- Edited to fix duplicated blockquote, and spelling mistake --

[crickets]

29. Interesting find. That's disturbing, if it is the same individual. nt

[PatSeg]

28. Whoa, that is very suspicious

But it is hard to figure out what their objective was.

[Irish_Dem]

30. What were the SS agents doing in return for all the expensive freebies?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

31. Adding a link: Man posed as DHS worker, claimed ties to Pakistani intelligence, prosecutor says

Local Crime & Public Safety

Man posed as DHS worker, claimed ties to Pakistani intelligence, prosecutor says

By Spencer S. Hsu, Peter Hermann, Emily Davies and Matt Zapotosky
Today at 4:40 p.m. EDT|Updated today at 4:42 p.m. EDT

One of two men accused of posing as federal law enforcement employees and who successfully ingratiated themselves with Secret Service agents had visas for travel to Iran and Pakistan, and told others that he had ties to Pakistan’s intelligence service, a federal prosecutor alleged Thursday.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rothstein said the U.S. government wanted Haider Ali and Arian Taherzadeh — who were arrested Wednesday on charges of impersonating federal law enforcement — held in jail while they await trial, alleging that they posed a flight risk and possessed firearms.

Ali, who claimed the connection to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, had three visas for travel to Pakistan and two for travel to Iran, Rothstein said. The Iran visas were from July 2019 to January 2020, the month before his charged conduct began, Rothstein alleged. The prosecutor said that it appeared that Ali entered Iran once, and that his visas to Pakistan were older.

{snip}

Magda Jean-Louis contributed to this report.

By Spencer Hsu, Peter Hermann, Emily Davies and Matt Zapotosky

[sarcasmo]

32. Forensic accountants will be following the money. The First Lady needs a new protection team.