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VALDOSTA — A former Moody Air Force Base airman pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this week to two counts of impersonating an officer, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.

Marlon De’Adrain Priest, 23, of Valdosta pleaded guilty to two counts of impersonating an officer and an employee of the United States, the statement said. He faces up to three years in prison, a year of supervised released and up to $500,000 in fines. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 20.

Priest, who had been discharged from the Air Force in 2019 for misuse of a military credit card, had pretended to be a federal agent, made a traffic stop, offered to solve a crime and appeared at a crime scene in Remerton wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying an AR-15 rifle, the statement said.

An agent with Moody’s Office of Special Investigations unit contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation in September 2020 regarding Priest, who was impersonating an OSI agent in the Valdosta area, the justice department said.

A white sedan driven by Priest had police lights and Remerton police had recordings of Priest at crime scenes impersonating a federal officer, according to the statement.

In addition, Priest made a traffic stop on April 9, 2020, identifying himself as an undercover agent at Moody Air Force Base. The victim driving the car told authorities Priest was armed, was wearing a bulletproof vest and that Priest’s vehicle had police lights with a public announcement system. 

Priest called the stop in to 911, reporting himself as an undercover Moody agent. Bodycam footage from the scene showed Priest was armed, the justice department said.

In October 2020, Priest impersonated an FBI agent, telling a fraud victim that he was an FBI agent who could help her start a case if she paid him $85; he then threatened the victim with criminal charges and warrants unless she paid a $150 “fine” for supposedly making false statements, which the victim paid, the statement said.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and the Remerton Police Department.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.