A D.C. man accused of posing as a federal law enforcement officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges connected to a scheme in which he committed bank fraud and maintained apartments for which he failed to pay rent, the Department of Justice said.
Haider Ali, 36, pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy and bank fraud and a D.C. charge of unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, according to the DOJ.
Ali and 40-year-old Arian Taherzadeh were accused of offering free apartments and other gifts to U.S. Secret Service agents and officers, prosecutors said.
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Ali and Taherzadeh ran a business called United States Special Police LLC that they described as a private law enforcement, investigative and protective service that was part of the Department of Homeland Security, according to court documents. The company had no affiliation with the U.S. government or D.C., according to DOJ.
To recruit others to join him, Ali falsely claimed he participated in the capture of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s wife, was of royal blood and was connected to a senior Pakistani intelligence official, DOJ said.
Ali and Taherzadeh used their false positions to obtain multiple apartment leases and parking spaces for which they failed to pay, costing a Southwest D.C. apartment complex more than $300,000 in losses, according to DOJ.
According to the plea agreement, Ali also raised $1 million through bank fraud.
A prison sentence of 63 to 78 months is recommended per the plea agreement. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 24.
Taherzadeh pleaded guilty in August. His sentencing has not been scheduled.
