Man Sentenced To Prison For Impersonating U.S. Marshal

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Sandy Springs, GA -- A Sandy Springs man will spend time in federal prison for impersonating a United States Marshal.

John Letcher Edens, 56, was sentenced on Feb. 10 to one year and one day in federal prison for the crime, said U.S. Attorney John Horn of the Northern District of Georgia.

U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross also ordered Ednes to serve three years of supervised release and pay a $600 fine.

“Edens misrepresented that he was a U.S. Marshal to gain sensitive personal information to use in his skip tracing business,” Horn said. “He abused the trust that is placed in law enforcement to make exigent requests for phone location data. Instead of using the data to rescue kidnapped children, he used it to repossess cars.”

Skip tracing is the process of tracking someone down who can’t be located at their residence or known hangouts.

In October and November 2014, Edens falsely claimed to be deputy U.S. Marshal and submitted exigent request forms to a cell phone provider in order to obtain location information about private citizens.

He then used that private location information for his business as a skip tracer, in which he located individuals for the purpose of repossessing their vehicles. Precise location information is provided by cell phone companies to law enforcement with a search warrant, or “when exigent circumstances require the disclosure of such information before a search warrant may be obtained,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

According to prosecutors, when he submitted the exigent request forms, Edens fraudulently represented that children had been kidnapped and were in immediate danger in order to trick the cell phone provider into providing private citizens’ location information without a search warrant.

In one instance, Edens even harassed a victim, Horn added.

On May 6, 2015, a grand jury charged Edens with seven counts of false impersonation of a U.S. officer. He pleaded guilty to six of the seven counts on Sept. 24, 2015.

“When someone fraudulently represents themselves as a deputy U.S. Marshal – or any law enforcement officer – the consequences can be serious,” said U.S. Marshal Beverly Harvard. “Eden was able to gain access to non-public information, which allowed him to harass one victim. His crimes had the potential to damage the trust that the U.S. Marshals Service has worked long and hard to establish with the public, private companies and fellow law enforcement agencies.”

This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and assistant United States Attorney Jolee Porter prosecuted the case.

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