Rain may have postponed Playland Park’s Fourth of July programming, but there was still some action at the park over the holiday weekend.
Westchester County Police officers nabbed a 47-year-old man from Somers, John Fiore, on July 4 for felony criminal impersonation of an FBI officer – accusing him of wearing false FBI regalia and lying about being shot on the job.
County police say undercover cops assigned to Playland stopped a man whose dog was wearing a vest with a K9 patch, a blue line, and other patches. While speaking with the man, police say he raised the hem of his shirt to reveal a gold FBI shield affixed at his waist. Officers say he claimed that he and his dog had recently been shot in the line of duty, even going as far as to remove a knee brace to display his wound.
“To make the tale even better, he went on to say that his dog had bitten – and killed – their attacker,” county police reported.
The man then made his way into the Tiki Bar restaurant on the boardwalk. An employee in the area approached officers and gave them a business card the so-called FBI agent had been handing out, which was for a dog-walking service. John Fiore was listed as the owner on the card.
“Now this guy’s story didn’t add up from the get-go, but you have to do your due diligence,” cops said.
Investigators found no evidence of an FBI agent by that name, nor any reports of a recent shooting of an FBI officer or a canine.
However, they did find a state police record from May stating that Fiore was arrested for possessing illegal weapons and narcotics in his home. In that police report, Fiore allegedly claimed he had been shot in a home invasion, when in reality, investigators discovered he had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot injury.
County police officers then returned to the Tiki Bar and took Fiore back to the Playland Precinct for processing. As they made their way, police said he knocked his false FBI badge off his waistband and tried to kick it out of sight, but was unsuccessful.
Fiore was charged with a first-degree felony for criminal impersonation and is due in Rye City Court on July 14.
