Walter Wayne Brown Jr.
DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (AP) â Two men are accused of pretending to be federal marshals and flashing phony credentials to get out of wearing facial coverings at a South Florida resort hotel.
When the staff at the Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort asked Walter Wayne Brown Jr., 53, and Gary Brummett, 81, to cover their faces, the men refused, and threatened to arrest employees and saddle the hotel with a fine, the South Florida SunSentinel reported.
The scheme collapsed when one employee thought they were acting suspicious and called police on Feb. 11. Officers and a real U.S. marshal arrived and arrested the men on charges of impersonating a federal officer.
Fake Marshals, Real Covidiots
A couple of Florida men are in jail for impersonating federal marshals so they could get out of having to wear a mask. Their plan backfired when they met a real federal marshal.
Staff at the Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort asked Walter Wayne Brown and Gary Brummett to put on a mask, but they refused and told the staff that they re federal marshals and would arrest them. They even flashed some fake credentials. Fortunately one hotel employee called their bluff and called police. Officers and a real federal marshal arrived and placed the men under arrest. They ve each been charged with Impersonating a federal officer.
Men refusing to wear masks at South Florida hotel arrested after impersonating authorities, officials say Bianca Padró Ocasio, The Miami Herald
Feb. 19 Two men who authorities say pretended to be officials with the U.S. Marshals Service when they were asked to wear masks were arrested last week at a Deerfield Beach hotel, according to a federal complaint.
Walter Wayne Brown Jr., 53, and Gary Brummett, 81, were arrested Feb. 11 after police say they threatened to arrest staff at the Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort when hotel employees asked them repeatedly to wear masks, as part of the resort s policy.
They were both wearing fake badges around their belts that appeared authentic, with a seven-point star that read Cherokee Nation Marshal, according to the federal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.