A Frankford man and former School District of Philadelphia police officer was indicted on Dec. 1 for twice impersonating federal agents, including one time when he posed as an ATF officer to access the restricted site of the May 12 Amtrak derailment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Michael Alvaro, 37, faces five charges in the indictment, including two counts of impersonating a federal officer, one count of conducting an illegal search and seizure and two counts of possessing an unregistered firearm.
On May 12, within minutes of the Amtrak derailment near the 2000 block of Wheatsheaf Lane in Port Richmond, Alvaro allegedly pretended to be an ATF agent, wearing a vest emblazoned with the word “POLICE,” and talked his way into the chaotic crash scene, which had been restricted from public access.
On Nov. 17, 2014, Alvaro allegedly arrived at a Pennsylvania State Police trooper’s DUI-related car stop on Interstate 95, identified himself as a DEA agent and used a crowbar to search the motorist’s car trunk for suspected drugs. The results were negative.
If convicted, Alvaro could be sentenced to 29 years in prison. ••
