Man arrested after using fake ID at Navy base

Posted 11:56AM on Tuesday 16th April 2002 ( 23 years ago )

ST. MARYS - A financial planner arrested for using a fake identification card to enter Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base was looking for a cheaper hotel room and access to military personnel, a Navy investigator said. Michael Famighetti, 53, of New York, was arrested last week. ``He never gave us any indication that he had any terroristic intentions,'' said Special Agent Mary Beth Eversman of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. ``It was obvious to us he was in the financial planning field. He was probably using this as a scheme to target military members.'' Investigators are trying to determine whether he was able to get any military clients for his financial planning services and, if so, whether those services were legitimate. Famighetti was charged with felony forgery and criminal trespassing and faces up to 10 years in prison. A base employee noticed a discrepancy in Famighetti's ID card and phoned investigators The name on the ID was retired Lt. Col. Michael Reynolds. ``Anytime you have someone trying to get aboard an installation using a fake ID card, it's a serious situation,'' said Kings Bay spokesman Lt. Doug Gabos. Famighetti told authorities he had gotten past security at other bases by saying he was a Marine lieutenant colonel. Law enforcement officials wouldn't say how he had been able to accomplish that. ``I've gotten calls from other bases from South Carolina to Georgia,'' Eversman said. ``He even got medical treatment from the Veterans Administration in Decatur.'' Before trying to get into Kings Bay, Famighetti stayed at Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, Fla., said Supervisory Special Agent Rich Gamble of the NCIS office at Kings Bay. ``They rolled out the red carpet for him,'' Gamble said. Mayport officials would not comment. When agents interrogated him, Famighetti said he had a mental health problem and that Reynolds was his alter ego. He has been transferred to a mental health facility in Savannah for evaluation.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/4/195956