SAN DIEGO — A Mexican man in the United States has pleaded guilty to impersonating a Border Patrol agent and pursuing and diverting federal immigration officers while on immigration enforcement duties in Southern California.
Jimmy Ernesto Alvarez Gonzalez admitted to following a Border Patrol agent on Jan. 8 as he drove through a San Diego neighborhood, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
Prosecutors said Alvarez Gonzalez’s black Ford F-150, a model also used by undercover federal officers, had a license plate with Federal Truck written on the tire in small letters, although the word “Federal” was misspelled. A Border Patrol sticker was placed on the windshield and non-functional radio communications antennas were placed on the roof, according to the complaint. The handcuffs were hung from the rearview mirror.
The agent aborted his mission when he saw Alvarez Gonzalez following him, mistakenly believing other agents were responding, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
When Alvarez-Gonzalez confronted real agents, he “screamed obscenities and demanded that the agents leave the Linda Vista community,” prosecutors said. Three other cars also arrived at one point and began harassing the departing customers and chasing them down the highway.
Prosecutors said Alvarez Gonzalez made a recording in which he said he was actively searching for federal immigration enforcement agents and had brought his “reinforcements.” He also had a fake FBI badge.
He pleaded guilty to one count of impersonating a federal agent and three counts of illegal possession of firearms. His federal public defender did not respond to an email request for comment.
The US Attorney’s Office said Alvarez Gonzalez overstayed the tourist visa he had used for decades to enter the country.