The San Francisco ChronicleDECEMBER 17, 1998, THURSDAY, FINAL; CONTRA COSTA EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A24
LENGTH: 387 words
HEADLINE: Poser Forbidden to Play Cop Again; Santa Clara man acted as officer for a decade
BYLINE: Charlie Goodyear, Chronicle Staff Writer
DATELINE: SOLANO CO.
BODY:
A Santa Clara man who pleaded no contest last month to impersonating a police officer must spend another 40 days in jail and will be barred from wearing uniforms or attending law enforcement classes, a judge ordered yesterday.
During a brief sentencing hearing, Solano County Superior Court Judge Harry Kinnicutt admonished Steven Nemec for his behavior last May when the 26-year-old would-be cop arrested 14 people using warrants supplied by the Solano County Sheriff's Office.
But after nearly a decade of impersonating a variety of law enforcement officers and several brushes with police, Nemec has apparently learned his lesson.
"He understands there's a price that has to be paid for what he did," said his attorney, Daniel Healy. "I think he's relieved the end is near."
Slight and well-mannered, Nemec perpetrated his greatest fraud earlier this year after winning the trust of the Sheriff's Office, especially the clerks at the department's warrants desk. To obtain suspects' names and addresses, Nemec simply had to flash a badge and identification. In one case, he arrested the wrong man because of an incorrect warrant.
Last year, Nemec spent five months in a federal prison after he did not disclose on a military police application that he had been arrested in 1996 for passing himself off as a federal aviation official at the San Jose Airport.
Both Amtrak and Union Pacific have been investigating Nemec for allegedly impersonating their railroad detectives, but no charges have been filed. And Nemec was persona non grata as a volunteer for Rio Vista's Great Western Railway Museum, where he drove trains alone and tried to appoint himself as head of museum security.
Nemec could be released early if the Sheriff's Office determines he is suitable for a work-furlough program. He has been in custody since May.
As part of his five-year probation, Nemec is forbidden to wear any uniform or enroll in law enforcement training classes. As a convicted felon, he is barred from owning a firearm.
Despite his deceptions, Nemec has appeared to be a by-the-book, if bogus, cop. And his lawyer argues Nemec's actions, although illegal, may have actually contributed to public safety in Solano County.
"The one remaining question is, who's going to arrest everybody now?" Healy said.
LOAD-DATE: December 17, 1998
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
November 5, 1998, Thursday, AM cycle
SECTION: State and Regional
DATELINE: DALY CITY, Calif.
BODY:
FAIRFIELD, Calif. (AP) - A man several San Francisco Bay area police departments call a "wannabe" has pleaded no contest to four counts of impersonating a police officer.
Steven Nemec had faced charges of arresting 14 people last May in Solano County. He entered his plea to just four charges on Wednesday.
Nemec, 26, of Santa Clara, has been in jail for eight months and could end up being placed on probation. Prosecutors agreed to drop additional counts.
He has an "obvious fascination with law enforcement," said Nemec's attorney, Dan Healy. However, the lawyer said he has never acted violently and apparently followed police procedure to the letter.
"He was really the gentleman officer in all of these things," he said.
LOAD-DATE: November 5, 1998
The San Francisco Chronicle
NOVEMBER 5, 1998, THURSDAY, FINAL; CONTRA COSTA EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A19
LENGTH: 621 words
HEADLINE: Cop Impersonator Pleads No Contest; Fake arrests end in deal for probation
BYLINE: Charlie Goodyear, Chronicle Staff Writer
DATELINE: SOLANO COUNTY
BODY:
Short, fresh-faced and seemingly harmless, Steven Nemec lived a childhood fantasy for nearly a decade, posing as a police officer, a firefighter and a railroad official.
He made arrests, reported bad drivers and arsonists and even drove trains.
But now Nemec's bogus career may have come to an end. Yesterday, the Santa Clara man, facing charges for arresting 14 people last May in Solano County, pleaded no contest to just four counts of impersonating an officer.
As part of the plea bargain, Nemec, who has been in a Fairfield jail for eight months, will probably be placed on probation and serve no more jail time. Prosecutors at a hearing yesterday in Solano County Superior Court agreed to drop eight additional counts.
Known to numerous Bay Area police departments as a cop "wannabe," the 26-year-old Nemec embarrassed the Solano County Sheriff's Department last May by making more than a dozen arrests, many with the aid of real police officers. Concord's SWAT team even assisted with one attempt to serve a warrant, said Nemec's attorney, Dan Healy.
To live out his police fantasy, Nemec flashed a badge and ID at Solano County's warrants desk and was given suspects' addresses. Solano County officials, who declined to discuss details of Nemec's deception, have said they will review their security procedures.
A prosecutor handling Nemec's case did not return calls seeking comment yesterday.
Nemec has "an obvious fascination with law enforcement," his attorney said, but he never acted violently and apparently followed textbook police procedure.
"Here's a guy who helped clean up Solano County and he's been in jail eight months," Healy said. "He was really the gentleman officer in all of these things."
But instead of being an intrepid crime-fighter, Nemec was in reality a slight, boyish man who reveled in the authority that a uniform and badge could give him, according to court records and police reports.
Highlights from his phony cop career include:
-- Driving the Campbell Police Department's communications van "Code 3" -- lights flashing and sirens blaring -- as a youth volunteer in 1989.
-- Dressing in uniform against regulations as a volunteer with the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
-- Flagging down a carload of teenagers allegedly speeding near his parents' Santa Clara home in 1991 while claiming to be a state fire inspector.
In 1992, Nemec pleaded no contest to three counts of impersonating an officer, received probation and was ordered not to wear uniforms or badges or carry a firearm.
Four years later, working for a security firm at San Jose Airport, Nemec was accused of entering an off-limits area and allegedly identifying himself as a federal aviation official.
He served five months in federal prison in Lompoc last year after violating the terms of his probation for that offense by failing to fully disclose his criminal history when he applied to the Fort Ord military police.
Nemec even riled the membership of Rio Vista's Great Western Railway Museum when, after joining as a volunteer last year, he appointed himself head of museum security and operated locomotives without permission.
"He seemed basically to be a pathological liar," museum president Bill Kluver recalled. "The kid always had a different tale. Nothing that he said ever really added up."
Solano County officials have been tight-lipped about the case, particularly after it was discovered that Nemec arrested the wrong man -- a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who sat in jail for six weeks before the mistake was discovered.
"It wasn't going to help anyone to take him to trial," Healy said. "It was going to be extraordinarily embarrassing for a lot of people."
LOAD-DATE: November 5, 1998
The San Francisco Chronicle
JULY 7, 1998, TUESDAY, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A14
LENGTH: 461 words
HEADLINE: Family To Sue in Botched Jailing; Mentally ill man arrested by fake cop
BYLINE: Charlie Goodyear, Chronicle Staff Writer
DATELINE: VALLEJO
BODY:
The family of a mentally ill Vallejo man who was jailed for six weeks after being wrongly arrested by a fake cop has retained Oakland attorney John Burris and intends to sue.
"This case raises some troubling questions," Burris said yesterday. "How do we treat the mentally ill in the criminal justice system? How could he stay in jail for six weeks? And would a competent person be in there that long?"
The Solano County Sheriff's Office compounded the mistake when contacted by Robert Bass' relatives, who were checking with authorities on his whereabouts, Burris said. His family was told Bass was not in custody even as he sat in a Fairfield jail.
County officials were tight-lipped yesterday about the mix-up after receiving word of the planned lawsuit.
Bass, whose diagnosis is paranoid schizophrenia, was one of 14 people arrested in May by Steven Nemec, a 26-year-old South Bay man with a history of impersonating state and federal peace officers.
Nemec was allegedly posing as a cop when he made repeated trips to the Solano County Sheriff's warrants desk and obtained valid arrest warrants. He took Bass, 34, into custody in mid-May after showing up on his doorstep with a warrant.
But Bass was the wrong man. He is 10 years younger than the Robert Bass sought by police and doesn't match a physical description provided by the victim in the case.
"There's a breakdown in the system here," Burris said. "There was essentially the same name but the wrong description. Everything's wrong. There was an inability for the system to correct itself."
Kellin Cooper, the deputy public defender assigned to represent Bass, caught the mistake just before Bass, who was deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial, could have been committed indefinitely to a locked mental institution.
Cooper has accused sheriff's officials of suppressing an arrest and detention report that would have identified Nemec as the arresting officer in Bass' case. The attorney suggested that Nemec may have been able to obtain names of people with outstanding warrants while working for bail bondsmen in the area.
Sheriff's officials have not said how Nemec managed to get the warrants, but they pledged to review security at the warrants desk. A sheriff's spokesman said the department expected a lawsuit to be filed and referred all inquiries yesterday to the county counsel, who did not return calls.
Nemec showed a badge and an ID, but clerks at the warrants desks, accustomed to dealing with dozens of officers on any given day, did not check their validity. He was arrested May 27 after a Vacaville police officer, working with him as backup, became suspicious.
Burris said both Nemec and Solano County could be named as defendants in the lawsuit.
LOAD-DATE: July 8, 1998
The San Francisco Chronicle
JULY 1, 1998, WEDNESDAY, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A14
LENGTH: 444 words
HEADLINE: Man Jailed By Fake Cop Is Released; Victim, sex-assault suspect with same name
BYLINE: Charlie Goodyear, Chronicle Staff Writer
DATELINE: SANTA CLARA
BODY:
A Santa Clara man accused of posing as a police officer arrested the wrong man in May, a 34-year-old paranoid schizophrenic who sat in jail for six weeks before his lawyer caught the mistake.
Unlucky enough to have the same name as a sexual-assault suspect, Robert Bass was on the verge of being committed to a maximum-security mental institution after court-appointed psychiatrists deemed him unfit for prosecution.
"It's plausible he could have gone away for a long time," said his attorney, Solano County Deputy Public Defender Kellin Cooper.
Bass' twisted odyssey through the criminal justice system began in May when Steven Nemec, a 26-year-old with a fascination for uniforms and badges, showed up at Bass' home in Vallejo with a warrant for his arrest.
Nemec is well-known to a variety of Bay Area law-enforcement agencies that have investigated him for impersonating state and federal police officers.
Nemec had obtained warrants from the Solano County sheriff's office and had already busted 14 people by May 27 when he was arrested after a Vacaville police officer became suspicious while working as his backup.
Authorities still have not explained how Nemec knew the names of people with outstanding warrants. They said some of the arrests were valid.
Meanwhile, as Cooper investigated Bass' case, he became increasingly convinced that Nemec had arrested the wrong man for a sexual assault. Bass was younger than the suspect and did not have silver teeth as described by the victim. And the sheriff's office could not provide a copy of Bass' arrest-and-detention report, which would have identified the arresting officer.
"I think they were scared someone was going to sue the pants off of them," Cooper said. "Somehow, someone was suppressing that report."
Because of his mental illness, Bass, who lives alone and has no family in the area, never told Cooper he was innocent. In fact, Bass rarely talked with his lawyer at all.
"The only thing he would say to me was, Hey, everything's OK. Don't worry, I talked to the judge, and he's going to release me,' " Cooper said.
In the end, Bass was right. Solano County Superior Court Judge Mike Nail ordered him released last week.
Solano County sheriff's officials said dozens of police officers request outstanding warrants daily, which is why Nemec was able to make his arrests.
But a spokesman said yesterday he was not familiar with Bass' case or why the arrest report was not available for Cooper's review.
"It's one of the tragedies that can occur in the criminal justice system," Cooper said. "The sad thing is this guy probably didn't mind being in custody."
LOAD-DATE: July 1, 1998
The San Francisco Chronicle
JUNE 5, 1998, FRIDAY, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A20
LENGTH: 453 words
HEADLINE: Santa Clara Man Charged With Impersonating Cop
BYLINE: Charlie Goodyear, Chronicle Staff Writer
DATELINE: FAIRFIELD
BODY:
A Santa Clara man has been arrested in Solano County on suspicion of posing as a police officer, but not before he successfully arrested and booked 14 people wanted on warrants.
Steven Nemec, 26, was booked into the Solano County Jail on $200,000 bail and faces charges of impersonating a peace officer, false imprisonment and being a felon in possession of a handgun.
Nemec repeatedly passed himself off as a police officer last month, flashing a badge and photo ID at the Solano County Sheriff's Office warrant desk, department officials said.
He claimed to be a railroad police officer or an official with other law enforcement agencies and gave detailed information on suspects wanted on outstanding warrants, Sheriff's Deputy Gary Faulkner said.
"Mr. Nemec presented himself at the front counter with ID people believed was authentic," Faulkner added. "Everyone simply believed he was a bona fide police officer."
Faulkner said the department was investigating exactly how Nemec knew the names of people in Solano County wanted on outstanding warrants.
In several cases, Nemec asked for and received backup from sheriff's deputies and the Vacaville Police Department while making the arrests. Officers said he was armed with a semiautomatic pistol.
But a Vacaville officer became suspicious while working with Nemec on May 26 and alerted sheriff's officials. Nemec was arrested the next day in Vallejo.
Since 1991, Nemec has been investigated several times for impersonating state and federal law enforcement officers.
He pleaded no contest in 1992 to misdemeanor charges after impersonating a state fire official and was jailed briefly the following year when he violated the terms of his probation, according to newspaper reports. Federal officials then filed charges against him two years later, claiming he lied about his criminal record on an application for a job as a police officer at Fort Ord.
Authorities in Solano County were continuing to probe the details of Nemec's tangled and complicated past.
"He's changed his story several times," Faulkner said. "We're in contact with a number of federal and state agencies."
Police are also checking to see if any of the badges Nemec flashed were stolen.
Dozens of police officers request outstanding warrants daily, Faulkner said, explaining why officials at the desk didn't catch on to Nemec's alleged ruse. But he said the department plans to review its procedures.
Despite Nemec's deception, Faulkner said, the arrests he made are still legally valid because they are based on proper warrants.
For his protection, Nemec is being held in a special wing of Solano County jail -- away from the suspects he arrested.
LOAD-DATE: June 5, 1998
San Jose Mercury News (California)
APRIL 19, 1997 Saturday MORNING FINAL EDITION
SECTION: FRONT; Pg. 1A
LENGTH: 1303 words
HEADLINE: WHERE AIRPORT SECURITY FIRMS FAIL MAN WITH A BENT FOR BADGES, UNIFORMS ILLUSTRATES PROBLEM
BYLINE: BRANDON BAILEY, Mercury News Staff Writer
BODY:
A young man with a penchant for law enforcement seems headed for prison, after authorities said he impersonated a federal official while working for the private security contractor at San Jose International Airport.
When the incident occurred last year, Steven Nemec was a supervisor for International Total Services, Inc., a company at the center of controversy over two security breaches at the airport last month. Nemec got the job in spite of a conviction for impersonating a public officer, and a judge's order that expressly barred him from any type of security work.
While it isn't clear how much his employer knew of Nemec's troubles, the episode highlights what critics say is a problem at airports nationwide.
Security experts and other critics say airport contractors don't do enough to investigate the backgrounds of their employees, who are paid minimal wages to guard ramps, operate X-ray checkpoints and act as the first line of defense against terrorism or sabotage. Airport security contractors say they do what they can: They're required to check job histories but aren't allowed access to computerized law enforcement databases that show criminal records.
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was looking into allegations that ITS, which provides security at more than 100 airports nationwide, put some new hires to work in San Jose before completing checks of their employment background. A former ITS manager said the audit found few problems.
When he joined ITS, Nemec had a history of flashing badges and exaggerating his authority, according to police and other accounts found in court records. His actions had prompted investigations by the Coast Guard, the FBI and the state police.
While the 25-year-old Nemec admits making mistakes over the years, he said most of his troubles arose because various officials developed a personal dislike or grudge against him.
"I have a habit of pissing people off," he said in an interview.
'Aircraft inspections'
Allegations about his behavior at the airport are detailed in a sworn statement by San Jose police Officer Darlene Brooks. She said suspicions were aroused on Jan. 28, 1996, when three American Airlines workers saw him use an electronic access card to open a door leading to a parked jetliner.
Two flight attendants said Nemec identified himself as "the FAA," according to Brooks. One attendant said Nemec displayed a gold badge; the other said he claimed to be conducting "aircraft inspections."
After Nemec left the area, the airline workers reported the incident to airport police, said Brooks. She also reported that access logs showed Nemec entering restricted areas when he was off-duty. He also used a dummy bomb to conduct unauthorized tests of airport security, Brooks said, although Nemec contends this was one of his duties.
Nemec was never formally charged with any of those alleged acts. In an interview, he denied claiming to be a federal official and said he simply used his access card to open a door for airline employees. He said he did nothing wrong, but after police questioned his activities he decided "I don't need this" and quit.
After Nemec left his job, airport police decided he was a security risk. They took the unusual step of getting a court order that bars him from airport premises unless he notifies police, in advance, of the time and purpose of any visit.
State and federal authorities described Nemec as a "wannabe" -- or in the words of his former probation officer, a young man "enthralled with the idea of wearing uniforms or being in a position of authority."
Over the years, Nemec has volunteered with several public safety agencies -- at times dismaying his bosses by wearing his uniform off-duty -- and outfitted his own car with radio equipment and official-looking insignia.
In person, the slender, red-haired young man seems earnest and unthreatening. He told a reporter he'd been drawn to public safety work because he had a difficult upbringing and wanted to help others.
First incident in 1991
"I know I've done stuff that's not the greatest," he said. "Maybe . . . in a way, I didn't feel like I belonged in my family (so) I wanted to belong to an organization, to be of service."
Municipal court files show that Nemec first got into serious trouble in 1991, when he flagged down a car of teenagers on his parents' street in Santa Clara. The teens said an agitated Nemec accused them of ignoring a traffic sign. Wearing a uniform from a volunteer job with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Nemec told them he was an "arson patrol officer" with police powers "just like the CHP."
After the teens reported the incident, state police Detective J.J. Green investigated and reported that Nemec had misrepresented his authority before -- alternately claiming to be a cop, an emergency medical technician or a disaster relief worker.
Nemec pleaded no-contest in 1992 to three misdemeanor charges, earning three years' probation and an order to refrain from wearing a uniform or working in law enforcement or security during that period.
He was jailed briefly in 1993 for violating the terms of that probation. Among other things, authorities learned he had joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary, which gave him a volunteer's uniform and badge. Nemec eventually left the auxiliary after Coast Guard officials raised questions about his use of official vehicles and radio equipment.
Less than a year later, he was in trouble again.
In late 1993, Nemec got a job as a federal officer on the Fort Ord civilian police force. But his superiors became alarmed when they heard he'd bought two fully-equipped police cruisers for a private security service -- and allegedly used one to pull over motorists on a state highway outside Fort Ord jurisdiction.
Bought Highway Patrol car
Nemec told a reporter he didn't make any highway stops, although the FBI and his attorney alleged in court papers that he said otherwise in 1994. They also said Nemec purchased at least one car from the California Highway Patrol, which apparently thought his private security group was a police agency.
The young man was never formally charged with those acts. Instead, federal authorities indicted him on a more straightforward count: On his application for the Fort Ord job, he answered no when asked if he'd ever been convicted or put on probation.
Nemec pleaded guilty to submitting false information on a federal document. In January 1995, U.S. District Judge James Ware gave him three years' probation and, once again, ordered Nemec not to "wear or possess any uniform . . . or engage in any activity that may be construed as law enforcement . . . or security."
Before the year was out, however, Nemec was working at the San Jose Airport. While the records of his two convictions are readily available at courthouses in San Jose, federal prosecutor Amber Rosen said ITS managers apparently took Nemec's word that charges had been dismissed and the records sealed.
A spokeswoman at ITS said she couldn't comment on Nemec. Spokeswoman Jill Rosenjack said ITS has 12,000 workers and, despite efforts to weed out problem employees, "there's going to be those one or two that come out of the woodwork."
Nemec said he thought his conviction had been expunged, although court files show it hasn't. He acknowledged that he may not have disclosed "the complete details" of his record to ITS, adding: "You're going to do what you can to get yourself a job, while leaving things open."
His federal probation officer said Nemec claimed his new job didn't involve security work. But after the airport police reported their findings, Judge Ware ruled Nemec had violated court orders and directed him to serve nine months in custody.
LOAD-DATE: October 21, 2002
Docket Numbers: 2:03CR00292-01; 2:04CR00161-01
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
PETITION FOR WARRANT OR SUMMONS FOR OFFENDER UNDER SUPERVISION
Offender Name: Steven James NEMEC
Offender Address: San Mateo County Jail
Judicial Officer: Honorable David F. Levi Chief United States District Judge Sacramento, California
Original Sentence Date: 09/23/2004
Original Offense: 2:03CR00292-01: 18 USC 1341, 2 - Mail Fraud, Aiding and Abetting (2 counts) (CLASS D FELONIES) 2:04CR00161-01: 18 USC 922(g)(1) - Felon in Possession of a Firearm (CLASS C FELONY)
Original Sentence: 15 months BOP; 36-month TSR; $1,000 fine; $300 S.A.
Special Conditions:
Warrantless search; Financial disclosure; Mental health treatment; Aftercare co-payment; Not wear or possess any uniform or clothing/engage in activity construed as law enforcement, medical technician, military, or security; Not possess law enforcement related paraphernalia; Not knowingly associate with others in possession of weapons; Not associate with persons who are in the business of serving warrants or professional bounty hunters; Not attend any law enforcement related training; Shall not be present in any court proceeding involving law enforcement of which he is not a party or subpoenaed witness
Charge Number Nature of Violation
Charge 1: New Law Violation
On July 1, 2005, the offender was arrested by a San Mateo County District Attorney inspector following service of a search and arrest warrant. He was booked into the San Mateo County Jail and charged with Perjury, a violation of Section 118(a) of the California Penal Code; Forgery of Public Seal, a violation of Section 472 of the California Penal Code; Misleading Another to Believe That Request of Information is on Behalf of the State, a violation of Section 146(b) of the California Penal Code; Commercial Burglary, a violation of Section 460(b) of the California Penal Code; and Use of Documents Resembling Process of Court, a violation of Section 526 of the California Penal Code. This conduct is in violation of his supervised release condition which states that, "the defendant shall not commit any other federal, state, or local crime."
Charge 2: Possession of Law Enforcement Related Paraphernalia
A search of Nemec's residence and workplace was conducted on July 1, 2005, pursuant to a search warrant from San Mateo County.
Found in Nemec's belongings were a Texas, El Paso County Sheriff's Posse badge, a United States Navy police badge, an EMT badge, an Illinois State Police Bureau identification card, an International Auto Theft Association identification card, and three police light bars.
Possession of these items is in violation of his supervised release special condition number 6 which states, "The defendant shall not possess law enforcement related paraphernalia including, but not limited to, police scanners, badges, business cards, identification, or equipment which would give the impression of law enforcement involvement/association."
Justification:
The offender committed the supervised release violations shortly after being released from custody and is currently detained at the San Mateo County Jail pending state charges. Nemec has an extensive criminal history including previous convictions for Impersonating a Public Officer; Making and Using Documents Known to Contain False Statements in a Matter Within Federal Jurisdiction; along with his convictions for which he is on supervised release: Mail Fraud and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
Bail/Detention:
In view of the aforementioned information, a bench warrant for the offender's arrest is requested with a detainer to be lodged. Considering the nature of the underlying offense, Nemec's criminal history, and the new law violation conduct, as well as the violation of a special condition of supervised release, the probation office recommends detention.
