Sacramento man convicted of impersonating FBI agent investigating prostitution
A 27-year-old Sacramento man faces up to three years in federal prison for claiming to be a FBI agent investigating underage prostitution at a hotel two months ago, prosecutors announced Monday.
Daniel Arushanov on Monday pleaded guilty to impersonating an officer or employee of the United States, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento.
On Feb. 11, Arushanov went to a Red Roof Inn & Suites on Watt Avenue in Sacramento and told a hotel clerk that he was a special agent with the FBI. Arushanov was wearing all black clothes, black boots and a green camouflage hat, according to court documents filed federal court.
Federal prosecutors said Arushanov lied about being involved in an investigation into underage prostitution, and he demanded to see a hotel guest list. The clerk asked him to display his badge. Arushanov refused, telling the clerk to call the FBI.
Arushanov left after the hotel clerk called the FBI to report the incident. One of the hotel employees later identified Arushanov as the man who posed as an FBI agent. Arushanov was later arrested.
He was booked into jail on a misdemeanor count of impersonating an officer and later released. Federal officials have said Arushanov returned to the motel after being released and threatened a witness there.
An FBI affidavit filed in a New Mexico federal court in January 2017 states that Arushanov was arrested inside the University of New Mexico student union on Nov. 6, 2016, after he was found carrying a loaded handgun. Officers also found a shotgun and 59 rounds of ammunition in his car.
Arushanov later pleaded guilty to possessing a gun while under a domestic violence restraining order, court documents show, and was sentenced to 212 days in custody and supervised release until Oct. 2, 2019.
Sean Ragan, special agent in charge of the FBI Sacramento Field Office, said you can always call the local FBI office or a nearby law enforcement agency if you need to verify someone claiming to be a FBI agent. He also advised the public to call 911 if they feel they are in danger.
“We depend on the cooperation of the public,” Ragan said in the news release. “It is essential that people trust us to be who we say we are.”
The case against Arushanov is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea J. Kenny is prosecuted the case.
Arushanov is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on June 15. Along with the maximum sentence of three years in prison, the judge can order Arushanov to pay a $250,000 fine.
