Mercado, is accused of telling Sunset Protective Services and Investigations that he was a special agent for the Department of Homeland Security and is also accused of specifically seeking "the security contract and hourly payment to provide security services" for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in LA.

Mercado is also accused of using fake credentials and a "fraudulently registered" Ford Crown Victoria with tinted windows and a police light package. He was arrested by Secret Service agents and, if convicted, faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison.

Mercado has worked as a bodyguard for celebrities, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, declining to specify which ones reports TMZ.

"Apparently among people who do this kind of work — it's not a large group — word on the street was that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were looking for extra security because they were planning to come back from Africa," said Mrozek.

The security firm "just thought something was a little strange," said Mrozek.