How the Secret Service & More Were Tricked for Years by 2 Fake Agents, Prosecutors Allege
United States District Court for the District of Columbia Arian Taherzadeh
Two men have been charged with impersonating federal officers in a case involving several Secret Service agents — some of them assigned to protect First Lady Dr. Jill Biden or the White House. A group of agents are now on leave in relation to the case.
In a complaint filed Tuesday and unsealed Wednesday, federal prosecutors allege that two men — 36-year-old Haider Ali and 40-year-old Arian Taherzadeh — have been falsely claiming to be officers with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since February 2020.
In the years since, the complaint claims, the two have attempted "to ingratiate themselves" with real members of the federal law enforcement community by providing members of the Secret Service (and one DHS employee) with gifts including a $40,000-per-year apartment, iPhones, a drone, a flat-screen TV and a case for storing an assault-style rifle.
The complaint further states that Taherzadeh allegedly "offered to purchase a $2,000 assault rifle for a United Secret Service Agent assigned to the First Lady's protective detail."
United States District Court for the District of Columbia Arian Taherzadeh
The investigation was spurred, per the complaint, by an alleged altercation involving a Postal Service letter carrier at an apartment complex on March 14. While investigating, a postal inspector learned from residents of the building that Taherzadeh and Ali may have been witnesses.
Prosecutors say the two men allegedly identified themselves to the inspector as members of the U.S. Special Police Investigation Unit and said they were involved in "undercover gang-related investigations" as well as investigations related the 2021 U.S. Capitol riots.
In speaking to other residents, the inspector learned that the two men had emergency lights on their vehicles and had previously told residents that could access, "at any time," their cell phones and personal information, according to the complaint against them.
The investigation grew wider when the inspector learned that Taherzadeh and Ali were in regular contact with members of the Secret Service, whom they had provided with gifts (including the use of what they claimed to be an official government vehicle: their GMC SUV), per the complaint.
Taherzadeh had at one point also offered to provide a $2,000 rifle to a Secret Service agent on the first lady's detail, prosecutors claim.
The FBI soon got involved, with witnesses recounting that the men had at times shown them badges for their purported work with federal agencies and that they had been seen carrying concealed firearms.
The case, as outlined in the complaint, offers a bizarre look at how Taherzadeh and Ali formed relationships with people including Secret Service agents and civilians who lived in their building.
One witness told the agency the men had allegedly asked them to "conduct research into an individual who worked for the United States government as a contractor." The witness claimed that they allowed Taherzadeh to shoot them with an air rifle "because he/she believed this was part of the DHS/HSI recruiting process."
Another witness — identified in the complaint as a Secret Service agent "assigned to protect the White House complex" — told prosecutors he was provided with a rent-free penthouse apartment for approximately one year by Taherzadeh, who allegedly said he was an ICE agent, according to the witness.
The true cost of the apartment was approximately $40,200.
A different Secret Service agent — also assigned to protect the White House — said he was provided with "a rent-free three bedroom apartment, with an estimated value of approximately $48,240" by Taherzadeh, who allegedly said he had extra rooms as part of an assignment with Homeland Security.
Photos sent by the men to witnesses (including the agent for the first lady) show them wearing what appears to be police gear and posing with cases used to carry firearms. In another instance, Taherzadeh sent the agent a text and photo claiming he was in a Homeland Security training class. The photo, the FBI discovered during an investigation, had been taken from a tweet shared by Homeland Security.
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Taherzadeh and Ali have each been charged with one count of false impersonation of an officer of the United States. It's unclear if they have retained attorneys who can comment on their behalf.
The case has led to fallout at the Secret Service where, as of Monday, four members had been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation, prosecutors said.
The Secret Service said in a statement Wednesday night, "All personnel involved in this matter are on administrative leave and are restricted from accessing Secret Service facilities, equipment and systems. 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."
