Two men are accused of posing as U.S. marshals to get out of wearing masks at the Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort.
Walter Wayne Brown Jr., 53, and Gary Brummett, 81, were arrested on charges of impersonating a federal officer.
Both men flashed fake badges to hotel employees when asked to wear a facial covering and threatened to have employees arrested. Brummett also showed employees a laminated card that stated he was medically exempt from wearing one.
Employees became suspicious and notified the Broward Sheriff’s Office, who confronted the men while dining at the resort. Both men wore circular badges that read “Cherokee Nation Marshal,” and gave deputies ID cards identifying them as Aniyvwiya Tribal Nation members.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said that neither man is a member of his tribe nor affiliated in any way with the Cherokee Nation.”
Both men also wore laminated cards around their necks that read, “face mask exempt notice/card.”
The cards read. “I am exempt from any ordinance requiring face mask usage in public. Wearing a face mask poses a mental and/or physical risk to me. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), I am not required to disclose my condition to you.”
The cards also lists a “Department of Justice ADA violation reporting number.”
“The ADA does not provide a blanket exemption to people with disabilities from complying with legitimate safety requirements,” said Eric Dreiband, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division.
Brown and Brummett remain behind bars at the Joseph V. Conte Facility on a Marshal’s hold.
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