A Lake Stevens man charged in a string of fake FBI agent robberies including a $130K rip-off in the Central District pleaded guilty last week to seven federal felonies and now faces up to 20 years in prison.

Investigators say Steven Fisher “used fake credentials in the names of fictional characters or famous fraudsters” to commit his crimes. In a January 2017 robbery reported on by CHS at the time, investigators say Fisher claimed to be a Federal Bureau of Investigations agent investigating a suspicious transaction at 23rd and Jackson’s Red Sea Finance. 

According to the SPD report on the incident, a worker at the “bank/savings and loan” was closing up for the night when the suspect knocked on a metal security gate, showed a badge, and said he was FBI. Once he was let in past the security gate, the phony agent told the worker he had conducted a “bad transaction” and asked to see the records for the day. According to prosecutors, Fisher demanded, with gun drawn, the shop owner open his safe. A fake search warrant used in the hold-up was signed “Frank Abagnale,” a famous serial fraudster from the movie “Catch Me if You Can.” On top of the cash, police say Fisher also took Red Sea Finance’s computer equipment containing surveillance footage. The warrant was purchased from a website specializing in fake identification and documents.

Prosecutors say Fisher called himself “Jack Ryan,” a character from Tom Clancy novels, in another crime.

In all, fisher pleaded guilty to robbery, attempted robbery, and five counts of impersonating a federal official. Robbery and attempted robbery are punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Impersonating a federal official is punishable by up to three years in prison. Sentencing is slated for October in federal court.

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