Behind the Badge
Anaheim Police investigators have arrested a man on suspicion of a variety of charges stemming from a fraudulent fire inspection scam.
In a news release Monday, Sept. 26, the APD said it arrested Brian Lee Carsten late Friday afternoon Sept. 23 on suspicion of falsely impersonating a fire official on at least five occasions in Anaheim, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach and Santa Ana.
Carsten is accused of charging businesses for the unauthorized inspections.
Carsten, 36, of Newport Beach, was arrested without incident during a traffic stop in Orange and booked on multiple counts of commercial burglary, extortion, grand theft, false impersonation of a fire official, counterfeiting an official seal and weapons violations.
He remains in custody at the Orange County Jail and is being held without bail.
The arrest was the culmination of a weeklong joint investigation by the Anaheim PD, Anaheim Fire & Rescue, Cal Fire, Huntington Beach PD and the Huntington Beach Fire Department.
Investigators believe Carsten targeted businesses owned and operated by immigrants or those with limited command of the English language.
They also believe there are additional cases not yet reported.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS or by email to www.occrimestoppers.org
