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FL: Feds arrest Hollywood man with 'stockpile'
Josey1
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Feds arrest Hollywood man with stockpile of weapons, ammunition
By Vicky Agnew
Staff Writer
Posted April 11 2002
A Hollywood man stocked his Presidential Towers condo with sniper rifles, killing arrows and more ammunition than the local ATF has on its shelves, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Wednesday.
After a monthlong investigation, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service arrested Douglas Altman, 52, Tuesday and charged him with impersonating an officer and confiscated a large cache of weapons and ammunition. Altman was denied bond Wednesday by federal magistrate Judge Lurana Snow.
Altman's attorney, Tim Day, said Altman's guns were legally owned and that he threatened no one.
"He has a lot of fantasy and foolish bravado to impress an elderly mother," Day said.
The Naval authorities first heard about Altman last month from an active duty Naval officer who was visiting a friend at the Presidential Towers. He told authorities he saw Altman wearing a Naval officer's uniform decorated with medals, but that the uniform "did not look right."
Also, the man overheard Altman telling people that President George W. Bush had called him back into active duty to oversee training Navy Seals and testing weapons and ammunition for the Navy, a U.S. District Court affidavit said.
Authorities' interviews with the condo manager and a UPS delivery man revealed that Altman also claimed to be in frequent communication with the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and that he had weapons in his home.
When investigators went to Altman's home April 2, Altman answered the door in a miltary-style T-shirt and a braided gold chain affixed with a Navy Seal insignia and dog tags. He refused to allow investigators into his home and initially denied owning any officers uniforms. He claimed that a uniform he wore for his driver's license photo was a valet uniform but later admitted that he had worn a Navy uniform.
A search of Altman's condo yielded guns, knives, crossbows, Asian throwing stars, double-edged hatchets and more than 17,000 rounds of ammunition. Authorities also found manuals on bomb making and counterfeit military orders.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eileen O'Connor called the collection a " frightening amount of weaponry," and "more [ammunition] than the ATF in Miami has in storage for all its agents."She added that Altman declared bankruptcy 10 years ago and has been in mental decline since.
She also said authorities were concerned Altman would try to breach security during Fleet Week the first weekend in May in Fort Lauderdale. A background check by investigators showed no record of Altman ever serving in any branch of the U.S. military, the affidavit said. Also, a check of state records shows he had no criminal history in Florida.
"It would appear, judge, this defendant is on the edge. It appears that he's been going downhill for 10 years," O'Connor said. "He wanted to prove he was an important person."
WFOR-TV Ch. 4 contributed to this story.
Vicky Agnew can be reached at vagnew@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7922.
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PHOTOS
Photo of Douglas Altman
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Apr 11, 2002
MORE HEADLINES
Feds charge defense contractor in Pompano with risky shortcuts
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Hollywood wants lake at Port Everglades renamed in its honor
Ex-librarian convicted of murdering former girlfriend in Lauderdale
Plot thickens with missed deadline, bounced checks at Lauderhill movie studio
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-saltman11apr11.story
Copyright c 2002, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
By Vicky Agnew
Staff Writer
Posted April 11 2002
A Hollywood man stocked his Presidential Towers condo with sniper rifles, killing arrows and more ammunition than the local ATF has on its shelves, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Wednesday.
After a monthlong investigation, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service arrested Douglas Altman, 52, Tuesday and charged him with impersonating an officer and confiscated a large cache of weapons and ammunition. Altman was denied bond Wednesday by federal magistrate Judge Lurana Snow.
Altman's attorney, Tim Day, said Altman's guns were legally owned and that he threatened no one.
"He has a lot of fantasy and foolish bravado to impress an elderly mother," Day said.
The Naval authorities first heard about Altman last month from an active duty Naval officer who was visiting a friend at the Presidential Towers. He told authorities he saw Altman wearing a Naval officer's uniform decorated with medals, but that the uniform "did not look right."
Also, the man overheard Altman telling people that President George W. Bush had called him back into active duty to oversee training Navy Seals and testing weapons and ammunition for the Navy, a U.S. District Court affidavit said.
Authorities' interviews with the condo manager and a UPS delivery man revealed that Altman also claimed to be in frequent communication with the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and that he had weapons in his home.
When investigators went to Altman's home April 2, Altman answered the door in a miltary-style T-shirt and a braided gold chain affixed with a Navy Seal insignia and dog tags. He refused to allow investigators into his home and initially denied owning any officers uniforms. He claimed that a uniform he wore for his driver's license photo was a valet uniform but later admitted that he had worn a Navy uniform.
A search of Altman's condo yielded guns, knives, crossbows, Asian throwing stars, double-edged hatchets and more than 17,000 rounds of ammunition. Authorities also found manuals on bomb making and counterfeit military orders.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eileen O'Connor called the collection a " frightening amount of weaponry," and "more [ammunition] than the ATF in Miami has in storage for all its agents."She added that Altman declared bankruptcy 10 years ago and has been in mental decline since.
She also said authorities were concerned Altman would try to breach security during Fleet Week the first weekend in May in Fort Lauderdale. A background check by investigators showed no record of Altman ever serving in any branch of the U.S. military, the affidavit said. Also, a check of state records shows he had no criminal history in Florida.
"It would appear, judge, this defendant is on the edge. It appears that he's been going downhill for 10 years," O'Connor said. "He wanted to prove he was an important person."
WFOR-TV Ch. 4 contributed to this story.
Vicky Agnew can be reached at vagnew@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7922.
Email this story to a friend
Printer friendly version
PHOTOS
Photo of Douglas Altman
See larger image
Apr 11, 2002
MORE HEADLINES
Feds charge defense contractor in Pompano with risky shortcuts
11 S. Fla. lawmakers endorse McBride's bid for governor
Hollywood wants lake at Port Everglades renamed in its honor
Ex-librarian convicted of murdering former girlfriend in Lauderdale
Plot thickens with missed deadline, bounced checks at Lauderhill movie studio
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-saltman11apr11.story
Copyright c 2002, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878