Marcos Daniel Jiménez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; William T. Sims, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office; and Michael S. Clemens, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announced today that on February 4, 2004, an Indictment was returned against Roberto Martin and Christopher A. Johnson charging them with falsely impersonating federal agents in connection with a fraud scheme.

As set forth in the Indictment, Roberto Martin and Christopher A. Johnson are charged with participating in a scheme in which they sought to unjustly enrich themselves by falsely representing to certain individuals that they were working with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on an alleged “secret operation” that involved obtaining money that had been stolen from Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, and that those individuals could receive a share of the money if they provided the defendants with money to finance the “secret operation.” As part of the scheme, Martin would claim that he was a former Cuban intelligence officer who had defected from Cuba, and would falsely represent that he was now working for the CIA on an alleged “secret operation” to recover money that he had helped steal from Castro. Johnson would falsely represent to others that he was “Special Agent Chris McClenic” of the United States Secret Service, and that he was assisting Martin with the alleged “secret operation.” At meetings with participants in the alleged “secret operation,” Martin would carry a firearm and a law enforcement-style badge case, and Johnson would carry a firearm, wear an ear-piece style radio and use a business card from the USSS in the name of Chris McClenic.

Both Martin and Johnson are charged with conspiracy, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 5 years, and with falsely impersonating a federal agent, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 912, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 3 years. Martin is also charged with two counts of mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341, which carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1), which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. Each charge also carries a maximum fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release.

Mr. Jiménez commended the investigative efforts of the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Curtis Miner.