An Oregon area man is now facing charges after he allegedly tricked a woman into believing she was training to be a Drug Enforcement Administration agent for almost a year.

The scheme was uncovered on February 1st after a police sergeant noticed a police vest in the open trunk of the suspect’s car.  Sgt. Matthew Jacobsen of the Portland Police Bureau says he approached the suspect and asked if he was a sworn federal agent.

The suspect identified as 51-year-old Robert Edward Golden, told the sergeant that he and his “trainee” were both “Feds” and that they worked in Portland.

He then told the woman to show her badge.

Suspecting that something wasn’t right, Sgt. Jacobsen then transferred both Golden and the woman to the DEA. That’s when Golden confessed.

“Golden said he and [the woman] were into ‘cosplay’ (costume play) and that is why they had the police tactical vests with DEA/Police patches” and other fake items, according to the affidavit.

During the police interview, the woman told authorities that she believed that she was actually training to be an DEA agent while attending school for criminal justice.

She reported that Golden had given her a DEA badge and photo ID and had taken her shooting and on night surveillance “ride-alongs.” The woman said they even once broke up a fight after Golden shouted “police” and then flashed his badge.

Authorities could not say what they believe Golden’s motivation was behind tricking the woman.

He is now facing charges of impersonating a DEA special agent, using false credentials to gain information from residents and installing red-and-blue emergency lighting in his car to navigate traffic.

If found guilty, Golden faces up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000,