This guy with the bogus US Marshal creds was so confident in his ability to pass as the genuine article that he fooled two federal agencies, the Border Patrol and the TSA; and he also tried it on the Hemet, CA cops (the only LEA that didn't fall for the scam). Most of us wouldn't have the cojones to attempt to impersonate a cop, let alone a FLEO, let alone to another FLEA.

I don't believe the guy was self-taught. The required skill set is greater than the abiilty to obtain an official-looking badge and an official-looking ID (where did he get these?). Was he some former military or spook type who had some specialized knowledge in how to do what he did?

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