2 Men Pose As Government Agents To Bring Dog In Restaurant: Cops

MIAMI, FL — Two men learned the hard way that it might be better next time to claim their Belgian Malinois as an emotional support dog rather than trying to convince the manager of one of Miami's best known Cuban restaurants that they are federal agents — and the dog is a "federal dog" — working on a classified investigation.

"The defendants were identified by the manager as persons claiming to be FBI, CIA, and/or National Security agents," explained a police report filed by Miami police on the incident that occurred last week at the iconic Versailles restaurant in the Little Havana section of the city.

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Fifty-one-year-old Ismael Diaz of Coral Gables and 48-year-old Alberto Nunez Horta of Sparta, North Carolina were each charged with falsely impersonating an officer, aggravated battery of a police officer and other offenses, according to arrest documents.

When they ran into Miami detectives who happened to be outside the restaurant, the pair also got into a scuffle with them, arrest documents said.

"Defendant Nunez Horta walked to the detectives, yelling to defendant Diaz that he does not have to identify himself to anyone," arrest documents said.

Miami police said that the two had visited the restaurant on more than one day last week. It was Diaz who brought the dog into the restaurant, arrest documents explained.

"All witnesses stated that both defendants had been acting suspiciously for the past two days," according to the arrest documents, which said that the behavior of the men made patrons and restaurant employees uneasy.

"Both defendant[s] became belligerent and began yelling that they were federal agents, causing a scene," the documents said.

Police said they recovered what appeared to be a two-way radio and loaded firearm from a silver Ford F-150 that the men arrived in.

At one point, Diaz showed the manager what appeared to be his credentials.

The men were also spotted going table to table speaking with customers and showing them items from a tablet and cell phone.

When they were questioned by a restaurant manager the two became "verbally abusive and began yelling expletives, saying among other things that they were federal agents, and they could put everyone there in jail," arrest documents said.

Later, as Diaz was being questioned by Miami police, arrest documents said he told an investigator that police would have to contact National Security and Homeland Security to learn more about him.

(AP Photo/J Pat Carter)