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Authorities: Men posed as US marshals to avoid wearing masks at South Florida resort

Suspects accused of threatening to arrest employees
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Posted at 10:20 AM, Feb 17, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-17 10:31:43-05

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. — Two men are accused of pretending to be federal marshals and flashing phony credentials to get out of wearing facial coverings at a South Florida resort hotel.

Staff at the Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort asked 53-year-old Walter Wayne Brown Jr. and 81-year-old Gary Brummett to cover their faces.

But they refused and threatened to arrest employees and saddle the hotel with a fine. The scheme collapsed when one employee thought they were acting suspicious and called police on Feb. 11.

Officers and a real U.S. marshal arrived and arrested the men on charges of impersonating a federal officer.

Both men remain in jail.