This whole thing took just a massive amount of planning, coordination, dedication, tenacity, recklessness, a ton of money—and for what, exactly?
Two D.C. men posing as Homeland Security agents ran such a convincing and elaborate scheme that they fooled four Secret Service agents, including one on the first lady's detail, into accepting extravagant gifts like penthouse apartments, iPhones and pricey rifles, the feds allege.
Arian Taherzadeh, 40, and Haider Ali, 36, were arrested on Wednesday evening when FBI agents and United States Postal Service cops swarmed the plush Crossing Apartments in the capital's Navy Yard neighborhood and charged them with false impersonation of a federal officer.
According to an unsealed affidavit filed in federal court, the pair have been posing as high-level DHS agents for more than two years, flashing official-looking IDs, carrying Glocks and driving black SUVs with emergency lights while living out of several luxury units at the Crossings and "ingratiating" themselves with federal law enforcement and defense officials, some of whom they lured to live in the same building.
Seriously---of all the crazy angles to this, the same one is doubtlessly on everyone's mind:
Who funded this effort??
It takes practically a brain surgeon's salary to live in even a dumpy efficiency apartment in Washington. To live at "several luxury units" in Navy Yard, all while driving around a couple of Escalades, buying rifles and giving them away for free—you need a serious cash flow for that sort of behavior.
Meanwhile...the other question everyone is asking: Why did they do this?? Well:
It is unclear what they had hoped to gain from the ruse, and prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing...
What is going on here??
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