WESTCHESTER – A 47-year-old Somers man, who , resulting in his arrest on several charges, was arrested over the holiday weekend for impersonating an FBI agent at Rye Playland.
John Fiore, with a Mahopac address on Narcissus Drive, was arrested in May after telling police he opened the front door of his residence and observed an unknown man standing on the front steps who fired a single round from a handgun, striking him in the left knee. A state police investigation determined the story was fabricated and the gunshot was self-inflicted. Fiore was charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 13 counts of criminal possession of a weapon, and falsely reporting an incident.
Drugs and guns were seized from the home in May.
On July 4, undercover Westchester County Police assigned to Rye Playland encountered Fiore at the park, where, while wearing an FBI badge on his waistband, he was telling everyone who would listen that he was an FBI agent who had been shot in the line of duty.
The undercover cops stopped Fiore, to talk to him. Fiore was accompanied by his dog, which was wearing a tan vest adorned with a K9 patch with a blue line as well as other patches. Fiore told them that he and his dog had recently been shot, and he removed a knee brace to display a wound.
Fiore then raised the hem of his shirt to reveal a gold shield affixed at his waist. He stated that he was “FBI” and that he and the dog had been shot in the line of duty. To make the tale even better, according to Westchester County Police, he went on to say that his dog had bitten – and killed – their attacker.
When Fiore went back into the Tiki Bar restaurant, an employee in the area gave the officers a business card that Fiore had provided. It was for a dog-walking service, with John Fiore listed as the owner.
Already doubting the story, the Westchester County cops followed up and were unable to find any evidence of an FBI agent by the name of John Fiore, an FBI agent involved in a shooting, or an FBI K9 who killed a suspect.
What the cops did find was the story from May announcing Fiore’s arrest following the fabricated shooting story at his house. Cops entered the Tiki Bar and retrieved Fiore, then took him to the precinct. According to police, as they were walking him to the Playland Precinct, he knocked the shield off his waistband and attempted to kick it out of sight, unsuccessfully.
Fiore was charged with felony criminal impersonation and is due in Rye City Court on July 14.
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