Two men posed as U.S. marshals and threatened employees with arrest after being asked to wear a mask at a South Florida resort, the Sun Sentinel reported Tuesday.
Gary Brummett, 81, went to the front desk of the Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort for a cup of coffee Thursday, when he was asked to put on a mask by multiple staff members, according to the Sun Sentinel.
Brummett proceeded to display a laminated card claiming he was medically exempt from having to wear a mask, the Sun Sentinel reported. The manager did not back off, asking Brummett once again to put on a mask.
“Do you know what this means? I’m a U.S. marshal and can have you arrested if you force me to wear a mask,” Brummett told the manager, pointing to a badge on his belt, according to the Sun Sentinel.
Walter Wayne Brown Jr., 53, had a similar encounter with resort staff two days prior. While checking into the resort, Brown Jr. was handed a mask by employees and asked to wear it, the Sun Sentinel reported.
Brown Jr. claimed to be a federal agent, pointing to a badge and necklace, which exempted him from having to wear a mask, according to the Sun Sentinel. (RELATED: Fauci Says Masks Can Come Off When Virus ‘Is Not A Threat At All’)
The next day, Brown Jr. was again asked to wear a mask by resort employees, the Sun Sentinel reports. Brown Jr. threatened to have the manager arrested, again claiming to be a federal agent.
Brummett and Brown Jr. were confronted by police in a resort restaurant Thursday. The men were donning “Cherokee Nation Marshal” badges and handed police cards tying them to the Aniyvwiya Tribal Nation, according to the Sun Sentinel.
They also wore “face mask exempt notice” cards around their neck which claimed they were not required to put on a mask under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Sun Sentinel reported.
Neither men have been employed as U.S. marshals or are members of the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, the Sun Sentinel reported. The Cherokee Nation Principal Chief confirmed neither men were part of his tribe.
The face mask exempt notices the men wore around their necks were also fake. These cards have been widely used to evade mask mandates. Palm Beach County state attorney, Dave Aronberg, made a statement warning businesses about them back in July.
“Do not be fooled by these so-called “exemption” cards, which do not carry any force of law,” Aronberg tweeted.
My office has received reports of individuals attempting to use a “Face Mask Exempt Card” to evade Palm Beach County’s mandatory mask order.
Please note that such cards have NO legal authority and businesses should not alter their mask policies based on them. 1/ pic.twitter.com/5Oc0s1wAJQ
— Dave Aronberg (@aronberg) July 10, 2020
Brummett and Brown Jr. were taken into custody by police and are awaiting bond hearings, according to the Sun Sentinel.