One of the men, Haider Ali, is also saying that he had little to do with the operation, with a lawyer suggesting he was duped in a similar way as the actual agents.
Prosecutors allege Arian Taherzadeh and Ali posed as federal officers to get close to the agents, with Taherzadeh lavishing agents and a Department of Homeland Security worker with rent-free apartments, iPhones, law enforcement paraphernalia, and other items.
Four members of the Secret Service have been placed on leave, pending further investigation.
While prosecutors are attempting to keep Taherzadeh and Ali detained until trial, the defendants launched separate efforts on April 11 to be freed.
Taherzadeh, through his lawyers, said the crime of impersonating a federal officer is not a crime of violence and alleged the government has not demonstrated that Taherzadeh cannot be safely released.
“Mr. Taherzadeh agrees to abide by these and any other conditions the Court believes necessary to reasonably ensure the safety of the community,” they added.
HISP stands for high intensity supervision program.
The defendant is relying in part on the Bail Reform Act, which made it easier for some people accused of crimes to avoid pre-trial detention.
Because of his newfound notoriety—many articles about the alleged crimes have included not only Taherzadeh’s name, but his pictures—even if he were released, he could no longer impersonate a federal agent, the man’s lawyers said.
A hint of the upcoming defense was also included in the filing.
Taherzadeh lavished gifts on the federal officers because he had a “genuine friendship” with them, the lawyers said, adding, “He never asked for anything from the officers he befriended, never gave them anything for the purpose of gaining something in response, and deeply regrets his involvement in this matter.”
Ali, meanwhile, suggested through his counsel that he had little to do with Taherzadeh besides being an employee at a company Taherzadeh owns called United Special Police LLC.
The charging documents, the counsel noted, largely describe actions Taherzadeh allegedly took.
Ali does live in an apartment in the building, but what was seized from there was noted in a single line: laptop computers, flash drivers, a U.S. Postal Service badge, and police lights that can be installed in a vehicle.
The “paucity of detention evidence” may be why the government pivoted to emphasizing Ali’s travel records, lawyers for Ali, who does, in fact, work for the Postal Service, said.
Ali did travel to Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Egypt in recent years, but did so because his faith’s major religious buildings are there, according to his counsel.
Both filings came after the government urged Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey, the judge overseeing the case, to keep Taherzadeh and Ali detained, arguing they pose a danger to the community.
After a hearing on the motion for detention was held on April 8, prosecutors lodged updated entries with the court, claiming that the case against the pair has only gotten worse.
“Because of the breakneck pace of the investigation, there are many facts that we still do not know. But the facts that we do know about the defendants—that they lied about their identities for years, stored a cache of weapons and surveillance equipment in their apartments, compromised law enforcement agents in sensitive positions, and tried to cover up their crimes—leave no doubt that their release poses a public safety risk,” prosecutors added. “Both defendants should be detained.”