U.S. Marshals Arrest Navy SEAL Imposter

Garfield, AR - The U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office arrested Arthur James (AJ) Dicken of Garfield, Arkansas early Friday morning on charges stemming from firearm violations. Dicken was wanted by the Carson City, Nevada Sheriff's Office for Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of a Felony.

Dicken is alleged to have passed himself off as a highly decorated Navy SEAL, who had served in dozens of covert combat missions from the jungles of Vietnam to the caves of Afghanistan. Dicken, as it was later confirmed, had never served in the military. Dicken often wore the Navy SEAL trident insignia and loved to show off his numerous awards to include two Congressional Medal of Honor awards.

The charges stemmed from when Dicken operated a military style self-defense school in Carson City, Nevada. The training he provided included firearms and self-defense tactics. Dicken was exposed after he was profiled on both 20/20 and Inside Edition as the result of alleged criminal acts. Additional allegations include embezzlement and fraud where Dicken bilked investors out of more than $850,000 for a proposed new international security firm.

U.S. Marshals in Reno, Nevada, working closely with the Carson City, Nevada Sheriff’s Office, adopted the case and determined Dicken was likely in the Northwest Arkansas area. Deputy U.S. Marshals in Western Arkansas began working the case and determined Dicken was residing on Slate Gap Road in Garfield, Arkansas. After careful coordination with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Dicken was arrested without incident in the early morning hours of February 14, 2014, where he was found residing in small recreational vehicle. Dicken was transported to the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, where he awaits extradition to Nevada to face his pending charges.