Former OC Security Guard Pleads Guilty To Impersonating Federal Agent
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A man who worked as a security guard at an Orange County retirement community pleaded guilty Wednesday to a felony charge for pretending to be a federal agent.
Donovan Pham Nguyen, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of impersonating a federal officer, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
According to the plea agreement, Nguyen began working at the retirement community's private security company in 2015. While employed by the company, Nguyen falsely told his coworkers that he was a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations and used that falsely assumed title to conduct traffic stops of his coworkers and search them — neither of which he was allowed to do as part of his actual job.
Nguyen also admitted that in May 2019 he falsely claimed to be a special agent with HSI to the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service as agents were preparing to execute an arrest warrant at the retirement community, according to court filings.
He further admitted that he falsely told a Riverside County District Attorney's Office employee in June that he was an HSI special agent and discussed a pending investigation, including HSI's involvement, with the employee.
Nguyen is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 3. He faces up to three years in federal prison.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
