Police: Hemet man impersonates U.S. Marshal, “deports” woman

A Hemet man who police say passed himself off as a U.S. Marshal and was able to remove a woman from a home and have her “deported” to the Philippines, has been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and impersonating a peace officer, said Lt. Duane Wisehart.

Gregory R. Denny, 37, was booked last month on a variety of charges, Wisehart said. John Hall, a spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney’s office, said Monday the case against Denny is still under review and he did not have an estimate on how soon a decision will be made or whether charges will be filed.

Meanwhile, Wisehart said federal officials are looking into claims that Denny told investigators he took the handcuffed victim to the international airport in San Diego Jan. 15 and was able to take her onto the facility while still in U.S. Marshal clothing.

Federal officials confirmed Monday afternoon they are looking into the matter.

“The Transportation Security Administration is aware of and reviewing an incident where an individual allegedly presented falsified law enforcement credentials at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field on Jan. 15, 2010,” said Ann Davis, public affairs manager for Northeast Region Department of Homeland Security, in a written statement.

Denny could not be reached for comment Monday. Denny was released on bond for $50,000, and is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 16, according to sheriff’s jail records.

According to a news release from Wisehart, investigators received a call on Jan. 18 from a home in the 1200 block of Stepstone Court. The witnesses said a man, later identified as Denny, arrived at a residence and identified himself as a U.S. Marshal.

Wishart said Denny was wearing clothing with “U.S. Marshal” printed on it, had a badge around his neck, a gun belt, and displayed an apparent handgun. The witnesses told investigators the suspect then handcuffed a female resident of the home and said he was detaining her and deporting the woman, Wisehart said.

The victim was then taken to the suspect’s vehicle and then allegedly driven to the U.S. Border Patrol station in Murrieta, Wisehart said. Officials at the Border Patrol office told Denny he would not take Denny’s “prisoner” because there was no warrant in the computer system.

Hemet investigators were then told that the suspect ultimately drove the female victim to the International Airport, where he escorted the handcuffed victim through the airport and to the gate of a departing flight, Wisehart said. At this point he un-handcuffed the victim and she boarded the plane that was headed to the Philippines.

Wisehart declined to name the woman, but said she apparently has remained in the Philippines believing she had been deported.

Wisehart said it appears Denny knew someone in the residence, but investigators do not know what connection, if any, he may have had with the woman.

Investigators contacted Denny, Wisehart said, and he confirmed many details of the incident that witnesses told investigators. Denny continued to tell Hemet police that he was associated with U.S. Marshal’s office, Wisehart said, but investigators say they cannot find any proof that Denny has ever had any connection to any law enforcement agency.

The Hemet police department made notifications to the FBI, U.S. Marshal’s Service, U.S. Border Patrol and the Transportation Security Administration for any investigation of activities within their jurisdictions.

Tags: FBI, hemet, Hemet Police Department, Lt. Duane Wisehart, Murrieta, SDNN, SWRNN, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Marshals Service

This entry was posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 6:09 pm and is filed under Courts, Crime, Local News, News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.