Authorities in South Florida arrested two men earlier this month for impersonating U.S. marshals after the pair allegedly claimed to be federal officers to avoid wearing face masks at a resort.
When asked to put on a mask, the men allegedly threatened to arrest employees at the Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort, which is north of Fort Lauderdale, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
Gary Brummett, 81, allegedly claimed to be a U.S. marshal and flashed a fake laminated card that said he was medically exempt from wearing a mask when the front desk manager asked him to put one on.
He also pointed to a badge on his belt that said "Cherokee Nation Marshal" and said to the manager, "Do you know what this means? I’m a U.S. marshal and can have you arrested if you force me to wear a mask," according to the federal complaint.
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Two days earlier, Walter Wayne Brown Jr., 53, allegedly told another front desk employee he was a marshal and didn’t have to wear one after the employee tried to hand him a mask when he was checking in.
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An employee who was suspicious of their behavior called the police and local officers arrived with a real U.S. marshal.
The men were arrested for impersonating federal officers and remain jailed in Broward County awaiting bond hearings, according to the newspaper.
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The men had never worked as U.S. marshals or as Cherokee Nation Marshals, investigators found, the complaint said.