Photo: VOLKSWAGEN
A California man was arrested for impersonating a federal agent after months of performing traffic stops in San Jose, California, while pretending to be with the DEA.
Had Alex Taylor, 49, done his homework, he would have known that the Drug Enforcement Administration does not perform traffic stops and can’t write tickets for traffic violations. Had he known this, he wouldn’t have made the mistake of trying to ticket a real federal agent and thus set the DEA on his trail.
According to a press release from the Agency, reports of Taylor’s activity started coming as early as last year. A man driving a Volkswagen Jetta with police-type lights, wearing a gold badge on his neck and pretending to be a fed, had been pulling over vehicles and ticketing drivers.
In December 2018, Taylor pulled over an actual fed: an off-duty agent who started questioning him about why he was performing traffic stops and writing tickets. That’s when Taylor got back into his car and drove off, but the real agent notified the DEA.
Last week, Taylor was arrested outside his home, after the DEA conducted surveillance of the place and got confirmation that he was the fake DEA agent driving the Jetta.
“[Agents] saw him wearing a gold badge and what appeared to be a firearm concealed under his shirt. Federal agents arrested Taylor the following morning and seized the Jetta, two firearms, imitation badges, handcuffs and methamphetamine,” the release notes.
“Taylor has been charged with pretending to be an officer of the United States, unlawful possession of official badges, identification cards, or other insignia, and use and possession of a counterfeit seal of an agency of the United States,” adds the same report.
If he’s found guilty, Taylor faces up to eight-and-a-half years in jail and $500,000 in fines. That would be a very expensive lesson on why it’s a bad idea to impersonate feds.
According to a press release from the Agency, reports of Taylor’s activity started coming as early as last year. A man driving a Volkswagen Jetta with police-type lights, wearing a gold badge on his neck and pretending to be a fed, had been pulling over vehicles and ticketing drivers.
In December 2018, Taylor pulled over an actual fed: an off-duty agent who started questioning him about why he was performing traffic stops and writing tickets. That’s when Taylor got back into his car and drove off, but the real agent notified the DEA.
Last week, Taylor was arrested outside his home, after the DEA conducted surveillance of the place and got confirmation that he was the fake DEA agent driving the Jetta.
“[Agents] saw him wearing a gold badge and what appeared to be a firearm concealed under his shirt. Federal agents arrested Taylor the following morning and seized the Jetta, two firearms, imitation badges, handcuffs and methamphetamine,” the release notes.
“Taylor has been charged with pretending to be an officer of the United States, unlawful possession of official badges, identification cards, or other insignia, and use and possession of a counterfeit seal of an agency of the United States,” adds the same report.
If he’s found guilty, Taylor faces up to eight-and-a-half years in jail and $500,000 in fines. That would be a very expensive lesson on why it’s a bad idea to impersonate feds.
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