California Attorney General Aide Arrested for Involvement in “Masonic Police Department”(?)

An aide to California’s attorney general was arrested last week, which is not unusual, because political figures often get arrested. What was unusual was that the individual, Brandon Kiel, was arrested on charges not of corruption or abuse of power but for involvement in “a rogue police force that claimed to exist for more than 3,000 years and have jurisdiction in 33 states and Mexico.”

What?

From the Los Angeles Times:

Brandon Kiel, David Henry and Tonette Hayes were arrested last week on suspicion of impersonating a police officer through their roles in the Masonic Fraternal Police Department, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

What?

Suspicions about the Masonic Fraternal Police Department – whose members trace their origins to the Knights Templar – were aroused when various police chiefs in Southern California received a letter in late January that announced new leadership for the group, sheriff’s officials said.

After the letters were mailed, a man claiming to be Kiel and describing himself as the police force’s “chief deputy director” called various law enforcement agencies to schedule in-person meetings, sheriff’s officials said.

A subsequent investigation found “badges, weapons, uniforms and law enforcement paraphernalia” at sites affiliated with the group, which has a website:

What is going on?