A Greenbelt man is accused of orchestrating a bizarre months-long scheme in which he pretended to work for the U.S. Marshals Service, collecting a massive discount on his rent and reporting a nonexistent gun stolen. Court records show Felipe Sanchez was taken into custody last week and charged with impersonation of a deputy U.S. marshal.
Sanchez caught the attention of law enforcement on Dec. 22, when a U.S. Park Police officer stopped his Chevy Impala on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway near Greenbelt for a traffic violation. The officer noted that the car “appeared to look like an unmarked police vehicle” because it had tinted windows, strobe lights and a police-type radio, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Greenbelt.
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Sanchez was also wearing a blue law enforcement-style uniform, the complaint says, and told the Park Police officer that he worked for the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force.
Sanchez showed a badge that read “Fugitive Task Force, Special Agent” and other Marshals Service credentials, according to the complaint. But checks of Marshals Service employment records revealed that Sanchez never worked for the agency, the complaint says.
In April, Sanchez reported a burglary at his apartment and identified himself as a U.S. marshal. Then, in September, he reported that his BMW was broken into and someone stole his Marshals Service credentials, badge and handgun, the complaint says.
Records show Sanchez bought a gun 12 days after his weapon was purportedly stolen, and had never previously owned a firearm.
Sanchez also told his landlord that he worked for the Marshals Service, submitting two fake paycheck stubs, and got a 75 percent law-enforcement discount, the complaint says.
Authorities sought last week to search his car and apartment.
“Based upon the numerous contacts with law enforcement officers where Sanchez successfully impersonated a federal officer, as well as the fraudulent paycheck stubs that Sanchez submitted with his rental application, I believe that Sanchez has false documents and/or document making capabilities at his residence,” the application for the search warrant says.
Agents found a blue jacket that read “Agent,” a “Fugitive Recovery Agent” placard and a badge holder at the apartment, according to court documents.
No attorney was listed for Sanchez in court records.
