For the past year, an Oregon man had tricked a woman into believing that he was a federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent and that he was training her to become an agent herself, authorities said.
Robert Edward Golden, 41, was arrested last week for allegedly impersonating a DEA agent after he was stopped with the woman while carrying fake badges, police lights and other law enforcement equipment in what he said was “cosplay,” according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Oregon.
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The woman with him, who was identified only as a witness in the complaint, said she was not aware of his alleged scheme and said she believed that she had been training with Golden to be a DEA agent while attending school for a criminal justice degree. It’s not clear how the pair met, though the complaint states that they live in the same apartment complex.
The elaborate ruse unraveled, however, when Portland police said they spotted a tactical vest labeled “DEA Police” inside the open trunk of a Dodge Charger that Golden and the woman were standing near. The car had police lights on the rear license plate as well as inside the vehicle.
A police sergeant said he questioned the pair and Golden instructed the woman to produce her credentials. She did, handing the sergeant a badge and what were perceived to be DEA credentials, according to the complaint.
Golden told the sergeant that he and the woman were “feds” and that he had more police equipment in his vehicle as well as at his apartment, according to the complaint. Golden had what appeared to be a firearm holster under his jacket, the sergeant said, but this was found to contain a replica firearm loaded with live ammunition.
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A search of his vehicle recovered holsters, tactical vests, handcuffs, badges, credentials and an AR-15-style rifle that was later determined to be a BB gun. Several of the items recovered had yellow DEA Police patches on them, authorities said.
Golden said he and the woman were into “cosplay” and that he felt that the DEA items, which he said he purchased online, offered them protection and stopped people from bothering them near their apartment complex, according to the criminal complaint. He said the police lights also helped him get through traffic faster.
The woman told investigators that she was told by Golden she would soon be training with other agents, some of whom were identified to her as “Agent Anderson,” “Agent Luis,” “Agent Garcia” and “Ms. Bennett” from the DEA. During her training, she said, Golden took her on “ride-alongs” for night surveillance and took her to practice shooting, according to the complaint.
The DEA Portland District Office does not have any special agents employed with those last names, and the DEA does not provide “ride-alongs,” according to a DEA special agent who compiled the affidavit supporting Golden’s arrest. That agent shared their belief that the woman had been duped.
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“Based on my training, experience, and consultations with other Investigators, I believe GOLDEN has tricked [the woman] into believing he is in fact a DEA agent and she is in fact in training to be a DEA agent,” the special agent stated in the affidavit.
Golden was questioned about the training that he allegedly gave the woman, and he said he took her to speak with homeless individuals in an effort to develop confidential informants should something happen to him in the future. Golden said he and his partner showed these individuals their badges and DEA credentials.
Court documents do not indicate if the woman is facing charges. A public defense attorney listed for Golden could not be immediately reached for comment Monday.
Source: huffpost
