KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Bristol man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison after the Department of Justice said he impersonated a U.S. Marshal.

Bobby Rowe Maggard, Jr., 47, of Bristol, Tennessee, was sentenced to 46 months in prison and three years of supervised release on April 13. He pled guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon and one count of impersonating a Deputy U.S. Marshal on January 11, 2023.

“The impersonation of a Deputy U.S. Marshal, while armed and after having been convicted of a felony offense, placed the public in danger,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. “Our office will vigorously investigate and prosecute those who engage in this conduct.”

In 2021, Maggard was employed as a registered bonding agent for a bonding company in East Tennessee. In July of that year, law enforcement received several tips that someone was pretending to be a Deputy U.S. Marshal. Maggard was identified as a suspect.

According to a release from the DOJ, Maggard admitted to law enforcement when questioned that he used a fake Deputy U.S. Marshal’s badge and patch, which he bought online, to pose as a Marshal when he was gaining information from people as a bonding agent. He reportedly told officers that he impersonated a Marshal in order to “scare them into telling the truth.”

Maggard also admitted he was a felon and knew it was unlawful for him to have a firearm. When he was questioned, he was on supervised probation in Sullivan County, Tennessee, for Failure to Appear according to the DOJ. A search of his residences recovered eight firearms, three Glock pistols, four AR-style rifles in various calibers, and a 12-gauge tactical shotgun.

“The United States Marshals Service very much appreciates the great work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, ATF and ATF Task Force Officer Farmer of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department for their excellent work on this investigation,” said United States Marshal David Jolley.

“We are pleased with the outcome of this case and the work of our detectives and federal partners. Taking dangerous armed felons off our streets is imperative for the public’s safety,” said Sheriff Jeffrey Cassidy, of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office.

In 2000, Maggard was convicted of Grand Larceny in Tazwell County, Virginia.