Man wanted ‘respect,’ so he posed as deputy US marshal, feds say. He’s facing prison
A Mississippi man accused of posing as a deputy U.S. marshal is facing time in prison, according to federal authorities.
William Gilchrist, of Greenville, flashed what turned out to be a fake U.S. Marshals Service badge during a June traffic stop in Louisiana, a Homeland Security Investigations agent said in court documents obtained by McClatchy News.
He said he was impersonating police to get “respect,” authorities said.
On July 19, Gilchrist was indicted for pretending to be a fugitive task force officer with the U.S. Marshals Service, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
He faces up to three years in prison followed by a year of supervised release, a maximum $250,000 fine and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, prosecutors said in a July 22 news release.
McClatchy News contacted Gilchrist’s attorney for comment July 23 and was awaiting a response.
Deputies with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office were conducting an investigation on June 19 in Kenner, Louisiana, when a white pickup truck pulled up behind their unmarked patrol car with its blue and white emergency lights activated, authorities wrote in a criminal complaint.
The truck, bearing a “Police Fugitive Task Force” license plate, pulled alongside the deputies’ vehicle, turned on its emergency siren and drove away, documents say.
Deputies activated their own lights and stopped the pickup truck, driven by Gilchrist, on suspicion that it wasn’t a legitimate law enforcement vehicle, officials said.
After stopping, Gilchrist got out and “immediately presented ... a star shaped badge and identification card that read ‘U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force’ and identified himself as a United States Marshal,” the HSI agent wrote.
He told detectives he was a “volunteer” deputy marshal from Tennessee, but U.S. Marshals Service officials confirmed Gilchrist wasn’t a sworn officer there or “anywhere else in the United States.”
The ruse ended with his arrest, authorities said. While speaking with investigators, Gilchrist acknowledged lying about being a deputy marshal “because he wanted respect,” federal agents said.
A search of his pickup truck turned up several items, including a ballistic vest, a loaded 9mm handgun, handcuffs and nearly 70 rounds of ammunition, according to the criminal complaint.
Authorities didn’t say if a trial date has been set.
Kenner is about a 10-mile drive west from downtown New Orleans.
This story was originally published July 23, 2024 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Man wanted ‘respect,’ so he posed as deputy US marshal, feds say. He’s facing prison."