San Jose man indicted on charge he impersonated DEA agent
SAN JOSE — A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted a 49-year-old San Jose man on a charge of falsely impersonating a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officer, authorities said.
On Dec. 24, Alexander Taylor pulled over a driver and falsely stated he was a DEA agent, according to a six-page indictment filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose. He allegedly showed the driver a fake DEA badge and stated he intended to issue the driver a traffic citation.
An affidavit filed in the case identified the driver as a special agent in charge with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Taylor returned to his car and drove away after the agent questioned his authority to issue a citation and identified herself as a federal officer.
Taylor is a suspect in other bogus traffic stops in the South Bay, according to the affidavit.
One of those stops occurred on Highway 17 last November. Taylor allegedly asked a tow truck driver if he wanted to die and went on to tell him the emergency lights on his truck were bothering other drivers, according to the affidavit. At the time, the driver was on his way to help the California Highway Patrol clear a collision from the roadway.
Authorities arrested Taylor on March 2 and seized a Volkswagen Jetta outfitted with “police-type lighting,” two firearms, an imitation DEA badge, a concealed weapons badge, a pair of handcuffs and a small amount of methamphetamine, according to the DEA.
The indictment charges Taylor with one count of false impersonation of a federal officer and one count of possession of a counterfeit seal of an agency of the United States. If convicted, Taylor faces up to eight years in prison and fines totaling half a million dollars.
Taylor remains in custody and is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Friday afternoon.