A man accused of targeting federal immigration agents and pretending to be one of them is now facing serious prison time after prosecutors say his stunt put law enforcement in danger.
Jaime Ernesto Alvarez-Gonzalez, 53, an illegal immigrant who overstayed a tourist visa decades ago, pleaded guilty Tuesday after admitting he impersonated a U.S. Border Patrol agent to interfere with deportation operations.
Authorities say the impersonation was deliberate and planned.
On Jan. 8, Alvarez-Gonzalez allegedly trailed a real Border Patrol agent through San Diego, California, in a black Ford F-150 dressed up to resemble an undercover federal vehicle.
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The truck appeared convincing at a glance, outfitted with a Border Patrol sticker, fake radio antennas, a dashboard light bar and handcuffs hanging from the mirror despite a license plate frame that misspelled Federal as “Ferderal.”
It worked well enough that the real agent believed he was being followed by another federal officer and pulled off his mission for safety.
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According to court filings, Alvarez-Gonzalez narrated the encounter in real time, claiming he was “on patrol” as he tracked the agent through city streets. At one point, he pulled alongside the agent at a stoplight and began recording him, later following him into a gas station parking lot and declaring he would stay on his “target.”
Prosecutors say Alvarez-Gonzalez posed with official Border Patrol vehicles. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California)
Prosecutors say Alvarez-Gonzalez, wearing a face mask and a “thin green line” hat, was actively searching for federal agents involved in ICE and Border Patrol operations.
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Prosecutors say Alvarez-Gonzalez recorded himself during the incident. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California)
When agents confronted him, the situation escalated quickly.
Authorities say he shouted obscenities, ordered agents out of the Linda Vista neighborhood and then called in what he described as his “reinforcements.” Multiple vehicles soon arrived, and people began harassing and chasing federal agents onto the highway, an encounter Alvarez-Gonzalez filmed himself.
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He was arrested days later. But investigators say the impersonation was only part of the story.
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A series of photos shared by prosecutors show Alvarez-Gonzalez handling guns at a Houston-area shooting range after traveling to Texas despite being barred from possessing weapons. In one image, he is seen holding a Kalashnikov-style rifle alongside a caption referencing “Pancho Villa” in the United States.
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Additional images appear to show him displaying multiple rifles near a pickup truck and standing beside a Ford vehicle with a Texas license plate and markings resembling a “Ferderal Truck” label paired with a sheriff-style emblem.
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Authorities say other photos place him in front of an actual Border Patrol vehicle and, in a separate shot, near a heavily secured stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border, where he is seen wearing what appears to be a vest and badge while standing by a “No Trespassing” sign.
Alvarez-Gonzalez near a restricted area at the southern border. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California)
Investigators say they also recovered an FBI-style badge and found that Alvarez-Gonzalez had access to guns, including a Glock pistol, along with ammunition linked to weapons he was not legally allowed to possess.
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Court documents further allege he tried to cover his tracks. While in custody, authorities say he called an associate and asked that law enforcement-style markings be removed from his vehicles. When agents later searched them, much of the apparent impersonation gear had already been taken off.
After his guilty plea, Alvarez-Gonzalez faces a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison on the gun charges alone.
Fox News Digital reached out to his attorney.
Stepheny Price is a Writer at Fox News with a focus on West Coast and Midwest news, missing persons, national and international crime stories, homicide cases, and border security.
