A man is accused of attempting to bring fraudulent law enforcement credentials, firearms, ammunition and a bulletproof vest on a flight from New Jersey to Florida.
During a routine screening of checked luggage, U.S. Attorney Phillip Sellinger said agents found ammunition and a ballistic vest with the words "Deputy Marshal" on it.
Sellinger said the discovery led agents to search other luggage belonging to Seretse Clouden. Agents found rifles, handguns, a taser and a spring-loaded knife, according to Sellinger.
The luggage also reportedly contained “United States Marshal” credentials with Clouden’s name and photograph. Sellinger said the U.S. Marshals Service was contacted and confirmed that Clouden is not, and was not, an employee with the agency.
The Department of Justice said in a court filing that Clouden was convicted in 2016 of unlawful possession of a weapon.
Clouden faces a maximum of 15 years in prison on the firearms and ammunition charges and another five years for allegedly being in possession of fraudulent identification documents.
Passengers are allowed to travel with unloaded firearms, but they must be packed in checked baggage.
"The case with the firearm should be brought to the airline check-in counter to be declared with the airline representative," the TSA states.
