GUTHRIE, Okla. (AP) — A man who has been a spokesman for a small group of armed civilians patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border was charged with impersonating a U.S. officer or employee.
An indictment returned Wednesday by a grand jury in New Mexico charged James Christopher Benvie, 44, of Albany, Minnesota, with two counts of false personation of a U.S. officer or employee, federal prosecutors said in a news release Friday. He faces up to three years in prison if convicted.
The news release from prosecutors does not provide details on the allegations, including what kind of officer or employee Benvie is accused of impersonating. It does say that the alleged offenses were committed in Dona Ana County, New Mexico, on April 15 and April 17. The county is along the U.S-Mexico border.
Benvie made an initial appearance in federal court Friday in Oklahoma, after the FBI arrested him in Guthrie, Oklahoma, prosecutors said. Attempts to reach him for comment Sunday were unsuccessful.
Benvie was a spokesman for a group called the United Constitutional Patriots before becoming a spokesman for a splinter group called the Guardian Patriots. United Constitutional Patriots made frequent social media posts showing masked men in combat fatigues chasing migrants and ordering them to stay put until U.S. Border Patrol agents arrive.
Videos he posted include one in March under the heading "Detained a man with a baby!" As an agent arrived, Benvie said, "The border is overrun. We're being invaded."
In Oklahoma, Benvie was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and attempting to obtain money by false pretenses. Benvie's defense attorney in that case, David Bedford of Oklahoma City, said Sunday that he could not discuss the matter.
The leader of the United Constitutional Patriots, Larry Hopkins, was arrested in April on federal weapons charges.
