Indiana Man Charged with Impersonating Federal Officials and Making a False Statement

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on February 22, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging  Brandon Anderson, 34, of Greenwood, Indiana, with two counts of impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States and one count of making a false statement to a department or agency of the United States.

Anderson entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on February 23, 2024 before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Following his arraignment, Anderson remained on pretrial supervision subject to conditions of release.

According to court records, Anderson, while wearing a tactical uniform with black body armor and a holstered firearm, impersonated a federal law enforcement official on two occasions. Anderson was not in fact a federal law enforcement official during either occasion, but instead was a privately contracted security guard for a federal agency. In addition, investigation of Anderson revealed that, in becoming a security guard for the federal agency, he falsely stated that he had served in the United States Marines and received an honorable discharge, when in fact he had not served in the Marines at all.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Anderson is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Anderson faces up to five years of imprisonment if convicted of false statement and up to three years of imprisonment if convicted of false personation. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Burlington Police Department.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Anderson is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara Puls.