A community liaison for California’s attorney general has been charged with impersonating a police officer for his role in a self-proclaimed police organization that says it traces its roots back 3,000 years and claims jurisdiction in much of the US and Mexico, authorities on Wednesday said.
The criminal charge against Brandon Kiel, who has served as deputy director of community affairs for the California Department of Justice, represents a potential embarrassment as Attorney General Kamala Harris, a Democrat, campaigns for a US Senate seat.
Kiel’s arrest last week resulted from an investigation by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department that turned up weapons, police-type vehicles, badges and equipment.
The investigation began in January after police chiefs in Southern California received letters announcing David Henry had been elected chief of the so-called Masonic Fraternal Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
Later, Kiel contacted several law enforcement agencies and, on behalf of the fictitious police department, requested meetings with their chiefs, the statement said.
Captain Roosevelt Johnson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department met with members of the Masonic Fraternal Police Department who claimed jurisdiction in 33 US states and Mexico, but could not answer questions about their group’s mission, sheriff’s investigators said.
On its Web site, the Masonic Fraternal Police Department traces its history to “the first police department” created by the “Knights Templar’s” in 1,100 BC.
The Knights Templar were a medieval Christian military order that amassed enormous wealth, leading to legends of hidden treasures, secret rituals and power.
Sheriff’s detectives, after concluding they were dealing with a fake police department, arrested Kiel, 31, last month along with Henry, 46, and Tonette Hayes, 59. All three have been charged with impersonating a police officer.
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