BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) - Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown’s half brother pleaded guilty Monday to impersonating a federal law enforcement officer, authorities said, describing how he stopped boaters off the Connecticut coast and an incident in which he investigated youths for drugs.
Bruce Brown, a 47-year-old Wolcott resident, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Bridgeport to two counts of impersonating a law enforcement officer and one count of falsifying a military discharge certificate.
A message left with his attorney was not immediately returned.
Scott Brown has said he was estranged from Bruce Brown, who has a different mother. The Republican lost the Massachusetts seat in 2012 to Democrat Elizabeth Warren.
Brown is also known as “Bruce Browne,” ’’Spenser Brown,” ’’Spenser Browne,” ’’Agent Brice” and “Detective Brice,” authorities said.
Brown arrived on Aug. 8 in Old Lyme in a Ford Crown Victoria equipped to resemble a police vehicle. He was wearing a bullet proof tactical vest with police insignia and was carrying a weapon and handcuffs and told a resident he was a special agent of the United States Coast Guard, prosecutors said.
While in Old Lyme, Brown’s fiancee asked a friend to take Brown on the friend’s boat. As the boat was backing out of the slip, prosecutors said Brown informed the boat owner that “I am commandeering your boat. Your boat is now a U.S. Coast Guard vessel.”
Brown required two boat operators to produce their boating licenses. Brown also asked a jet ski operator for his license and told him to return to the dock when he couldn’t produce it.
Authorities say Brown initially told them that he was a law enforcement officer sent by the U.S. Coast Guard to photograph a Coast Guard cutter, but eventually admitted he was not an officer. Brown had in his car a bulletproof/tactical vest with police insignia and a Transportation Security Administration badge, handcuffs, three handguns, loaded gun magazines, significant quantities of ammunition including hollow point bullets, a knife, and a police tactical baton, prosecutors said.
After he was arrested, Brown threw four other law enforcement badges into a reservoir but told authorities what he did, and a state police dive team recovered the badges.
Last March, Brown offered to have a “scared straight” conversation with the sons of an acquaintance who believed Brown was a federal law enforcement officer with experience in narcotics matters, prosecutors said. Brown arrived at his acquaintance’s home in a Crown Victoria, displayed a badge and had a holstered gun and handcuffs secured on his belt, authorities said.
Brown introduced himself to the minors as “Agent Brice” and “Detective Brice.” Brown escorted the minors up to their rooms while ordering the mother stay downstairs. She later learned from her son that Brown had drawn his gun and handcuffed her son while Brown searched his room, authorities said.
Brown also removed the weapon from his holster and pointed it near the minor as they prepared to enter a garage, authorities said. Brown returned with a backpack that contained about $200, a small amount of what appeared to be marijuana and a pipe and gave the mother the money and took the backpack and its contents, authorities said.
Brown was discharged in 2002 from the U.S. Coast Guard “under other than honorable conditions” but denied that on a pistol permit application, prosecutors said.
He faces up to three years in prison on each count of impersonating an officer and up to one year on falsifying a military discharge certificate when he is sentenced on May 19.
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