Oregon Woman Tricked Into Thinking She Was Training To Be DEA Agent

A man is facing charges after an Oregon woman who believed he was training her to become a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, Insider reports.

Robert Edward Golden, 41, is accused of pretending to be a DEA special agent, using false credentials to gain information from residents, and installing red and blue emergency lighting in his car to navigate traffic, according to a criminal complaint obtained by reporters.

The fiasco was exposed on February 1 when authorities detained the suspect and the woman. Golden reportedly told a police sergeant he and his "trainee" were both "feds" working in Portland. He then prompted her to show the officer her fake badge, the complaint says.

When the pair was taken to investigators later that day, that's when Golden confessed it was all a ruse, according to a DEA affidavit. The 41-year-old admitted the credentials were fake, and that he and the woman were into "cosplay," officials say.

The unidentified woman, who wasn't charged, told authorities she was training with Golden for over a year while she was attending school for criminal justice. She also claims they went on ride-alongs and practiced shootings, and an agent had to clarify the DEA doesn't do ride-alongs, an affidavit says.

Golden could face up to three years in prison and a fine of $250,000 if found guilty, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Nyhus per The Oregonian.