A man was taken into custody near the Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles County over the weekend after making two separate visits to the property while security teams were preparing for a scheduled visit by President Donald Trump, according to a newly filed federal complaint. Investigators say the man photographed and recorded security operations on site and falsely claimed he worked for the State Department.
The individual, identified as 38-year-old Jeanine John Taele of Downey, California, reportedly had ammunition in his pants pocket and a loaded handgun stashed inside his pickup truck at the time of his arrest, officials confirmed.
Jeanine John Taele, 38, of Downey, California, is pictured in an undated photograph released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.”
After deputies took him into custody Sunday, a follow-up search of his home turned up additional weapons, including an AR-style rifle that had been illegally altered, along with several notebooks containing what officials described as “concerning” written material, according to the federal complaint.
The FBI characterized the man’s actions as troubling, noting they took place just days before Trump was scheduled to attend a Republican National Committee dinner at the Rancho Palos Verdes property.
Court documents state that Taele first showed up at the club on Friday, during an active security sweep ahead of the president’s planned Tuesday arrival. Agents on site noticed a man later identified as Taele wandering the golf course wearing an earpiece while filming and photographing law enforcement’s security preparations.
He came back to the club again on Sunday, this time telling federal agents he worked for the State Department and was there as part of a “security detail.” He also disclosed that he had a loaded weapon inside his vehicle in the parking lot, the complaint says.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies who arrived on scene ran a database check and discovered Taele had an outstanding warrant for robbery out of El Segundo. He was detained and patted down, during which deputies allegedly found a 16-round magazine loaded with hollow-point rounds in his pocket.
A search of his truck turned up a loaded 9mm handgun with an additional hollow-point magazine, a pair of binoculars, and a badge labeled “security protection agent,” according to court records.
Deputies booked Taele on charges of carrying a concealed weapon and possessing prohibited armor-piercing ammunition.
On Monday, investigators returned to search his residence given the “potential security implications” of the case, recovering more firearms — including the modified rifle — plus body armor, two radio devices, and the notebooks referenced in the complaint. Authorities have not disclosed the contents of the writings.
Federal prosecutors have charged Taele with possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle, a felony that carries a mandatory 10-year minimum federal prison sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
He also faces separate weapons charges in state court. Taele remains held on $250,000 bail and is due back in state court on August 26; a date for his federal appearance has not yet been set.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said investigators are still working to determine a motive but expressed relief the suspect was stopped before the president arrived, crediting fast coordination between federal and local law enforcement for preventing a potentially dangerous outcome.
The case remains under joint investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the U.S. Secret Service. Authorities say there is currently no known threat to the public. Trump went on to attend the RNC dinner at the golf club as scheduled Tuesday evening.
