Last year during the October 1st shoot, the onfamous Instagram playboy Dan Bilzerian asked for the weapon of a LVMPD officer claiming to be a law enforcement officer himself – turns out he simply paid for phony police credentials and was breaking the law. After the officer complained to his superior, it prompted an investigation on how the self-admitted cocaine addict was carrying a badge.
Larry Barker for KRQE investigated the agency which issued Bilzerian’s police credentials and found out it was completely fraudulent. It was uncovered that a small town of only 430 people, Lake Arthur, New Mexico, established an “all-reserve police force” supposedly to help keep order in the community – however, no training was required to join the force, only a $400 fee needed to be paid. The majority of the recruits don’t even live in the state of New Mexico.
In response, we have been told that Law Enforcement in Vegas has seized the fake badges and IDs of Bilzerian as part the investigation into the pay for badges scheme. Sourceswithin LVMPD have told us that they received “several” complaints about Bilzerian carrying guns and badges and were looking into it.
KRQE reports that the town’s fake uncertified “Police Chief” Will Norwood gave out law enforcement credentials to his friends and quasi-celebrities from around the country in exchange for $400 per year “dues.” None of the badges gave them any actual law enforcement powers, but it seems that Bilzerian and others believed it may have.