Impersonating a police officer is a serious offense.
But the widespread use of technology makes it easy to create a fake identity.
And police could not believe this Florida man’s awful scheme to avoid a background check.
Most adults have had a background check at some point in their life.
During the hiring process, 95% of all employers conduct background checks.
Background checks usually go back around seven years and contain criminal and judicial records.
This can be an issue for many American adults.
According to CNN, a criminal record affects more than 70 million people in the United States or roughly one-third of American adults.
A Florida man recently ran into this issue when he attempted to rent some property that required a background check.
William Dennis Milstead, 64, lied about his identity to avoid the background check.
Milstead submitted a fake letter to the real estate agency alleging that he was some sort of special undercover “off-grid” agent for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and could not participate in a background check.
Milstead submitted a letter that was on official letterhead and looked legitimate.
But there was one huge problem with the fake letter.
It was loaded with spelling and punctuation errors.
“The fake letter, which had numerous grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors, was supposedly written by an assistant captain of the FDLE’s ‘Off Grid Command Unit’ explaining why Milstead should be an exception to the real estate agency’s background check requirement,” Fox News reported.
In the letter, Milstead wrote that “We ask that you make an exception to limit the background/credit check on William Dennis Milstead due to the security needed to protect our agent safety and rely solely on this letter of recommendation from the FDLE and State of Florida.”
According to the fake letter, Milstead has been working with the FDLE since October of 2006 and is one of their top agents.
“Due to the nature of the work he performs, his personal security would be at risk if leaked or falls into the wrong hands,” the letter reads.
It asked the agency to “rely solely on this letter from the FDLE and State of Florida.”
“The FDLE keeps a close eye on its agents, and I can certify that William Dennis Milstead is a very reputable individual and would be a great complement and an outstanding citizen to any community that he may reside in,” it read.
But, the real estate agency realized Milstead’s letter was fraudulent and reported him to the FDLE.
Milstead wanted to avoid the background check for a reason.
He has had 13 prior felony arrests.
And two of the arrests, in 2002 and 2016 were for impersonating a police officer.
He was arrested and charged with falsely impersonating a police officer, making a false statement to obtain property, and using a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
