Southern MN Man Pleads Guilty to Impersonation and Weapons Charge

MINNEAPOLIS -- A southern Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to charges that he impersonated a federal officer, and illegally possessed firearms.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 53-year-old Reyel Simmons of Dodge County pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of impersonating an officer of the United States and one count of possessing firearms as a felon.

Get our free mobile app

Court documents show Simmons created a TikTok profile under the name Rey Reeves and pretended to be a federal agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. According to court records, Simmons posted pictures and videos of himself on social media dressed in law enforcement equipment and calling himself an agent.

Records show he regularly carried a backpack known as his “go bag” which had the Homeland Security emblem on the side and contained a Glock handgun, a fake badge, and other items. Authorities say eight firearms were seized from Simmons’ home including assault and sniper rifles.

These items were found inside of the “safe room,” a bunker only accessible through a hidden doorway in his basement. Simmons also admitted to possessing unregistered silencers, detonating cord, blasting caps, thousands of rounds of ammunition, body armor, identification documents, and other equipment with law enforcement emblems.

Authorities say Simmons has never been a member of law enforcement at the local, state, or federal level. Due to a prior felony conviction in the state of Colorado, he is not allowed to be in possession of firearms, ammunition, or explosives at any time.

A sentencing hearing will be held at a later date.

How Many in America: From Guns to Ghost Towns

Can you take a guess as to how many public schools are in the U.S.? Do you have any clue as to how many billionaires might be residing there? Read on to find out—and learn a thing or two about each of these selection’s cultural significance and legacy along the way.

LOOK: What 25 Historic Battlefields Look Like Today

The following is an examination of what became of the sites where America waged its most important and often most brutal campaigns of war. Using a variety of sources, Stacker selected 25 historically significant battlefields in American history. For each one, Stacker investigated what happened there when the battles raged as well as what became of those hallowed grounds when the fighting stopped.

These are the battlefields that defined the United States military’s journey from upstart Colonial rebels to an invincible global war machine.