Downers Grove man faces prison for impersonating cop
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A Downers Grove man faces up to three years in prison for falsely claiming he was a U.S. Marshal when he tried to open a bank account with a $3.5 million check, prosecutors said Wednesday.
John C. Campbell, 30, of the 2500 block of Ogden Avenue, pleaded guilty Tuesday to false personation of a peace officer stemming from his November 2011 arrest.
Campbell was charged after he presented a fraudulent check made out for $3.5 million to U.S. Bank in Lisle and claimed to be a U.S. Marshal, prosecutors said. Police pulled him over and arrested him as he left the scene.
Authorities later seized a cache of law enforcement gear — including a phony badge, two starter pistols, batons and SWAT vests — from Campbell. They also found a bill of sale showing he used forged documents to buy a new vehicle from a Lisle car dealer weeks earlier, according to prosecutors.
In exchange for Campbell's plea, prosecutors dismissed charges of forgery, attempted deceptive practice, unlawful use of weapons and obstructing identification. Sentencing before DuPage County Judge Blanche Hill Fawell is set for Feb. 8.
Campbell remained in the county jail Wednesday. At the time of his arrest, he was also wanted in Florida for violating his probation in an earlier robbery case, prosecutors said.
