Alpharetta Man Pleads Guilty to Impersonation of National Security Agent

/PRNewswire/ -- Louis Joseph Aprile, 49, of Alpharetta, Ga., pleaded guilty today in federal district court to the offense of impersonating a federal agent, namely, an agent of the National Security Agency.

According to Acting U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: From May 19, to June 9, 2009, Louis Joseph Aprile initiated meetings with local law enforcement and repeatedly held himself out as the Deputy Director of the National Security Agency during a number of meetings. He perpetrated an elaborate scheme to convince these officers that he was from the National Security Agency (NSA) to organize an anti-terrorist task force, specifically targeting some individuals whom he claimed were Iraqi terrorists about to engage in terrorist acts. He told law enforcement officers elaborate stories with details regarding a terrorist plot to bomb a local area. His claims were serious enough to demand attention by the police departments. However, officers detected the deception before the impersonation went any further.

FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Greg Jones said, "Individuals impersonating U.S. Intelligence Agents as they meet with bona fide law enforcement officials are, thankfully, not something that the FBI has to contend with very often. Our solid partnerships with the Alpharetta Police Department, the Marietta Police Department, and many other departments which make up the metro Atlanta law enforcement community make such efforts doomed to fail."

Aprile was indicted in July 2009, of one count of impersonation of a federal agent. He pleaded guilty to the indictment. He could receive a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentence, the court will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2010, at 3:00 p.m., before U.S. District Judge Orinda Evans.

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Georgia Men Arrested for Impersonating NSA, MI-5 Officials

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Gregory Jones, FBI Atlanta, announces the following arrests yesterday at Alpharetta, Georgia:

Louis Joseph Aprile, age 49, of Alpharetta, Georgia, was arrested June 9, 2009, along with Michael Garveigh, age 45, of Roswell, Georgia. Aprile is being charged with violation of 18 USC 912, Impersonation of a Government Official, while Garveigh is being charged with violation of 18 USC 915, Impersonation of a Foreign Official.

The arrests of both Aprile and Garveigh by the FBI came after the two met with members of the Alpharetta Police Department as part of a scheme to recover funds allegedly on behalf of the U.S. Government from two locations, one in Alpharetta, Georgia and one in Marietta, Georgia. As part of this scheme, both individuals solicited law enforcement assistance from both the Alpharetta Police Department and the Marietta Police Department with Mr. Aprile allegedly misrepresenting himself as an agent of the National Security Agency (NSA) while his associate, Mr. Garveigh, a citizen of the United Kingdom, allegedly misrepresenting himself as a member of MI-5 (British Intelligence). Both individuals began meeting with representatives of these police departments approximately two weeks ago, stating that they were attempting to put together a counter-terrorism task force and were recruiting officers to work on this task force. During these meetings, Aprile and Garveigh briefed the law enforcement representatives of two locations that, according to them, held terrorism related money which needed to be recovered. As a caveat to this scheme, the law enforcement representatives were told not to contact the FBI regarding their efforts. Their efforts, however, did generate suspicion and the FBI was appropriately contacted.

Mr. Aprile and Mr. Garveigh had their initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Atlanta, Georgia on Wednesday, June 10, 2009.

The above are merely allegations and the public is reminded that all persons are innocent until proven guilty.

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