Springfield Man Sentenced For Fraud, Law Enforcement Impersonation

SPRINGFIELD, VA — A Springfield man was sentenced to nearly six years in prison on Tuesday for his role in a scheme that bilked more than $750,000 from his victims and included the impersonation of federal law enforcement officials, according to prosecutors.

Haider Ali, 36, who received a prison sentence of 68 months, impersonated federal officers, using fake identification to rent luxury apartments and cheat the owners out of rent, and to "ingratiate themselves with legitimate members of law enforcement," the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said.

Ali pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in October 2022 to federal charges of conspiracy and bank fraud, and to the unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, a criminal offense in the District of Columbia. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered 36 months of supervised release and restitution of $757,922.

After the judge announced the sentence, Ali was ordered remanded to begin his prison sentence immediately, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

According to court documents, Ali and his co-conspirator, Arian Taherzadeh, 40, of Washington, D.C., impersonated federal officers, using fake identification to rent luxury apartments.

Ali and Taherzadeh also operated a business called United States Special Police LLC, a D.C.-based private law enforcement, investigative and protective services company. The two men represented themselves to law enforcement as investigators and special agents, claiming an affiliation with the Department of Homeland Security, which was not true, according to court documents.

Ali falsely claimed at various times that he was a member of the Department of Homeland Security or the U.S. Secret Service, court documents said. He also falsely claimed that he participated in the capture of the wife of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, that his family had a royal bloodline, and that he had a connection to a senior official in the Pakistani Intelligence Service, according to court documents.

Ali and Taherzadeh were arrested on April 6, 2022. Taherzadeh pleaded guilty on Aug. 1, 2022, to a federal conspiracy offense and two District of Columbia offenses: unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device and voyeurism, according to prosecutors. Taherzadeh is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 1.

Both men used these false claims to recruit others to join their “task force” or “unit,” which these individuals believed to be part of DHS and federal law enforcement, according to court documents. Ali and Taherzadeh also befriended employees of the U.S. Secret Service because it provided them with cover and aided in their scheme, prosecutors said.

Ali and Taherzadeh used their assumed law enforcement personas and the business to maintain leases for multiple apartments and parking spaces for supposed law enforcement operations at a luxury apartment complex in Southeast Washington.

According to prosecutors, these apartment units included a penthouse where Ali and Taherzadeh possessed a Glock handgun registered to Ali that was loaded with a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, surveillance equipment, law enforcement tactical gear and a machine capable of programming personal identification verification cards used to create false credentials. They also used their false identification with law enforcement to obtain security footage in the building, as well as a list of the building’s residents, as well as their apartment numbers and contact information, prosecutors said.

Throughout their tenancy, no rent was paid on the leased apartments or parking garage. This resulted in a loss to the building of $295,277, and to the garage of $7,854, according to court documents.

According to the plea documents, beginning as early as May 2017 and continuing through March 2021, Ali engaged in a bank fraud scheme in which he generated more than $1 million in gross receipts from financial institutions. He used bank accounts that he and others maintained and controlled to falsely and fraudulently execute debit and credit card transactions, prosecutors said.