Here’s a truly bizarre crime report: The LAPD’s Major Crimes Division and the ATF teamed up to raid a home. The equipment they confiscated could have been out of an “Ocean’s 11” movie. It included a fire truck, uniforms, other equipment, and guns. Multiple people had gone to great lengths to create a completely fictitious Santa Muerte Fire Department. And the fake firefighters‘ motive is still unclear.

A criminal mastermind or absolute loonie?

Our story starts with an LAPD Major Crimes Division investigation into someone hitting commercial jet and CHP helicopter pilots with a laser pointer. That’s right, the absurdly selfish and dangerous hobby of the angstiest kid in your sixth-grade class.

So who did they finally narrow in on? Forty-six-year-old hospitality executive Steve Farzam. On July 16, the LAPD and ATF teamed up to raid his house in LA’s Brentwood neighborhood. Farzam isn’t some neckbeard living in his mom’s basement. He is a successful luxury hotel executive with a house in one of the city’s nicest neighborhoods. But what authorities found inside that house was downright bizarre.

The piece of equipment that was impossible to miss was a retired Pierce fire engine built in the 1980s. As I’ve written before, you can absolutely buy a used fire truck. With the correct license, you can even drive a de-badged one on the street. But that’s not all Farzam was doing. It seems he had created an entire fake fire department.

Farzam had impersonated a ranking firefighter in the completely made-up Santa Muerte Fire Department—complete with a uniform and city seal. He used this position to get California exempt plates for his truck and even firearms reserved for law enforcement. But that’s not all.

The pretend firefighter had even cruised around during the very real Palisades Fire and gained access to restricted zones. Three times.

To help out? Nope. As far as anyone can tell, he was just messing around. What’s even wilder is another man got in trouble for pretending to be part of the Santa Muerte Fire Department at the same time. And Farzam had at least one accomplice.

A bizarre pattern of impersonations

Back in 1999, it seems Farzam was considering a role in law enforcement. He actually applied to be a deputy. But it looks like he couldn’t wait. While his application was still in, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department arrested him for impersonating a police officer and committing perjury.

Farzam must have had a good lawyer. He accepted a deal, pleading “no contest” and downgrading the charges to unlawful DMV registration. Three years later, the LAPD arrested him for impersonating a firefighter. He was convicted of five misdemeanors. Later, Farzam was able to use a fake city seal and request that an internet service provider remove articles about his conviction.

One decade later, the California DOJ found Farzam was accessing DMV records with an alias login. They dug deeper and found he had actually called the City Attorney’s Office and posed as an FBI agent, demanding the city drop a DUI case.

That brings us to the first time Farzam was raided. Between his home, business, and vehicles, investigators found a full arsenal: 16 firearms, 12 emergency channel radios, 43 forged badges, and a fully marked CHP cruiser—with emergency lights. Again, Farzam must have had a good lawyer. He had these charges reduced to a misdemeanor and finally expunged.

Enter Andrew De Boer. He actually pulled over another driver while posing as a member of the Santa Muerte Fire Department (which still didn’t exist) at this time.

Meanwhile, Farzam just couldn’t quit. He bought another nine firearms reserved for police. He also kept full firefighter gear and used it to drive his truck through a National Guard checkpoint during the Palisades Fire.

“This defendant’s alleged actions reflect a disturbing pattern of lawlessness and disregard for public safety,” LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. “Over the course of more than a year, he is accused of repeatedly putting lives at risk, from impersonating a firefighter during an active wildfire to assaulting a first responder and targeting aircraft with a laser.”

Prosecutors added: “Farzam owns and operates the Shore Hotel in Santa Monica, which served as a base of operation for several fraudulent activities, including IP addresses linked to false submissions and vehicle registrations.” But the Shore Hotel released a statement explaining Farzam “has not held any position at Shore Hotel for over five years and has no affiliation with the hotel.” You can see the raid aftermath yourself in the video embedded below: