Justice Department Assistant Attorney Joshua Rothstein asked a judge not to release Arian Taherzadeh, 40, and Haider Ali, 35, the men arrested Wednesday for posing as Homeland Security investigators. The men are also accused of making lucrative favors to members of the Secret Service, including a first lady security agent, Jill Biden. Rothstein told the court that in 2019, a few months before the two began cultivating security professionals at their apartment building in Washington, Ali had traveled to Pakistan, Turkey, Iran and Qatar and had passed through Doha several times. In addition, Rothstein said, Ali “made allegations to witnesses that he had links to ISI, which is Pakistan’s intelligence service.” The Department of Justice (DoJ) treats the case as a criminal matter and not as a matter of national security. But the Secret Service suspended four agents because of their involvement with the suspects. “All personnel involved in this matter are on administrative leave and do not have access to Secret Service facilities, equipment and systems,” the Secret Service said in a statement. According to an affidavit filed in court, Taherzadeh and Ali, both U.S. citizens, lived in an apartment building in Washington where many federal-related federal officials live. Some of these agents were found to be national security investigators themselves, displaying uniforms and documents in support of these allegations. Both were initially charged with one count of perjury by a U.S. officer, which could lead to up to three years in prison. However, Rothstein told the court that the charge could be extended to a conspiracy, which carries up to five years in prison. The two men’s motives were unclear, but at one point they recruited a third person to work for them, instructing him to “investigate a person who provided support to the Department of Defense and the intelligence community.” Taherzadeh, meanwhile, has provided several Secret Service and Homeland Security agents with rent-free units that cost up to $ 4,000 a month, according to the affidavit. He also gave them iPhones, surveillance systems, televisions and law enforcement tools, according to the affidavit. Taherzadegh offered a $ 2,000 rifle to a Secret Service agent who worked for Jill Biden’s team and did the agent’s wife a favor, including borrowing his car. The affidavit stated that Taherzadeh and Ali appeared to control several units in the apartment complex and that Taherzadeh had access to the entire security system of the building. Like many law enforcement agencies, the two drove large black GMC SUVs with emergency lights. Taherzadeh brought in pistols used by U.S. federal law enforcement and showed others that he had secure access to what appeared to be internal security computer systems.
