Authorities are trying unlock the mystery of a Downey security guard accused of weapons violations after he twice visited the Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes in advance of this week’s presidential visit.
Jeanine John Taele was charged by federal prosecutors with possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
He was observed Friday and Sunday at the club, wearing a radio earpiece, taking photos of Secret Service agents on the grounds and carrying a round of ammunition in his pocket, according to a criminal complaint. Taele was arrested Sunday during his second visit to the golf course. Authorities said they discovered a small cache of firearms at his home along with a security ID.
But officials said they are trying to determine his larger motive and whether his aim was the hurt the president. He has not been charged with anything related to President Trump.
What do we know about his alleged actions?
On Friday, federal agents initially saw a suspicious individual, who was later identified as Taele, walking around the golf course, according to the affidavit.
He allegedly drove to the golf course in a Toyota Tundra outfitted with a license plate that, according to the DMV, was not registered to the vehicle and had been considered out of use since 2022.
He then returned to the location Sunday, authorities said.
L.A. County sheriff’s deputies detained Taele after he told federal agents there that he was a State Department employee on site for security detail, according to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint in California’s Central District Court.
A background check revealed he had a warrant out of El Segundo, so they searched his truck and found a loaded 9-millimeter pistol with hollow-point rounds, binoculars and a badge that read “security protection agent,” according to the affidavit.
Following an interview, sheriff’s detectives and FBI agents searched Taele’s Downey residence Monday and found an alarming stash of weapons — including an illegally modified AR-style rifle, a .45-caliber pistol, body armor, high-capacity magazines and bulk pistol ammunition. Detectives found notebooks containing “concerning statements” and two radio signal devices.
There was also another badge, this one gold or brass-colored, that read “Fugitive Recovery Bail Enforcement.”
What is he saying?
Taele has not commented. The L.A. County public defender’s office, which is representing Taele on the state-level charges, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He pleaded not guilty to the state charges Tuesday.
What is his background?
Taele was a Marine who reached the rank of corporal while serving at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County. He served from March 2008 to March 2016 and did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He earned medals for serving in those campaigns, along with two good conduct medals, a National Defense Service Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons and the NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal, according to the Marine Corps.
His military occupational specialty was warehouse clerk, and his final assignment was with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion at Camp Pendleton. He deployed to Iraq from October 2008 to March 2009 and to Afghanistan from June 2010 to December 2010.
Until 2025, he was licensed to work as an armed security guard.
According to El Segundo Police Lt. Eric Atkinson, Taele committed a strong-armed robbery Nov. 4, 2025, in which he used force or fear rather than a weapon. Atkinson said they have been looking for Taele in connection with the crime since then.
