A former United States Marine posed as a safety workforce member for Marine One, the helicopter that transports President Trump, and breached two c
A former United States Marine posed as a safety workforce member for Marine One, the helicopter that transports President Trump, and breached two checkpoints final week at Palm Seaside Worldwide Airport, the authorities mentioned.
The previous Marine, Brandon M. Magnan, 37, of Naples, Fla., was charged on Jan. 6 with false personation of officer or worker of the US, in response to a prison grievance by the US Secret Service.
It wasn’t clear why Mr. Magnan was attempting to get close to the helicopter. Marine One, which is piloted and guarded by the Marine Corps unit often called HMX-1, is used to move the president for shorter journeys, the Secret Service mentioned.
Mr. Trump was spending his winter vacation in Palm Seaside, Fla., at his personal Mar-a-Lago resort on the time of the episode with Mr. Magnan.
On Jan. 5, a protecting zone was established round Atlantic Aviation, which gives hangar area, jet gas gross sales and flight assist companies, as Mr. Trump was making ready to depart West Palm Seaside for Washington, the authorities mentioned.
Mr. Magnan was driving a Honda Pilot with an unidentified male passenger at about three p.m. after they approached a safety checkpoint. Mr. Magnan recognized himself as a member of HMX-1 and introduced a credential that indicated he was a regulation enforcement officer with the US Marine Corps, in response to the grievance.
Investigators mentioned the credential bore the seals of the Marines and the Marine Corps Government Flight Detachment. Mr. Magnan was permitted by way of the checkpoint.
He introduced the identical credential at a second checkpoint, the place he was allowed to proceed, the grievance mentioned.
However a sheriff’s deputy there observed that Mr. Magnan was not sporting a Marine Corps uniform, which is commonplace throughout presidential journey, the grievance mentioned.
The deputy contacted members of the safety element, who recognized the credential as faux. When confronted, Mr. Magnan informed regulation enforcement officers that he was a retired member of HMX-1, the grievance mentioned.
The Secret Service discovered that Mr. Magnan had served with the Marines till he was dishonorably discharged about 10 years in the past after being convicted at a court-martial for “critical offenses.”
Mr. Magnan is listed within the Florida Division of Legislation Enforcement Intercourse Offender registry for convictions in 2010 in navy court docket associated to abusive sexual conduct and sodomy.
In a single case, a lance corporal testified that he fell asleep in a resort room with Mr. Magnan after the Marine Corps ball and awoke to search out Mr. Magnan’s hand in his pants and over his boxer shorts, in response to military court records.
Mr. Magnan was launched on a $100,000 bond, in response to court docket information. Neither Mr. Magnan nor his lawyer, Peter Vincent Birch, could possibly be reached on Saturday.
If convicted, Mr. Magnan faces a most of three years in jail, a nice of $250,000 and a 12 months of supervised launch. He has a court docket listening to scheduled for Jan. 27.
It was not clear who the unidentified man touring with Mr. Magnan was or whether or not he was arrested. It was additionally unclear how shut Mr. Magnan obtained to Marine One or what number of extra safety checkpoints he confronted.
The episode is the newest safety breach associated to Mr. Trump and his visits to Mar-a-Lago.
Final month, a Chinese national trespassed on the personal membership and was arrested when she refused to depart. In March 2019, a Chinese woman was arrested after gaining entry on the membership whereas carrying 4 cellphones and different digital gear.