York Man Charged with Impersonating FBI Agent

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Brandon H. Schnetzka, 40, of York, Pennsylvania, was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Harrisburg. The indictment charges Schnetzka with one count of impersonating an officer or employee of the United States.

According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, the charge against Schnetzka is a result of allegations that in March 2013, he falsely represented himself as a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in connection with obtaining a “loaner” motor vehicle from a Mechanicsburg auto dealer.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Silver Spring Township Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith A. Taylor.

Indictments and criminal informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

In this case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute is three years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the jJudge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances, and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect, the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational, and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.