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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
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Man Posing as Police Officer Tries to Bring Fake Gun Into Club, NYPD Says

 Police said a man pretended to be an NYPD officer in order to bring a gun into VIP Room in the Meatpacking District.
Police said a man pretended to be an NYPD officer in order to bring a gun into VIP Room in the Meatpacking District.
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MEATPACKING DISTRICT — A man pretending to be a police officer tried to get into the exclusive VIP Room with a fake gun last week, police said. 

Gerard Farinon, 38, flashed a forged NYPD ID card after a security guard stopped him outside the Meatpacking District nightclub at 409 W. 13th St. about 2 a.m. on Oct. 30, police said.

The security guard suspected the card wasn't real and called police.

Officers found that Farinon was carrying a fake ID card, which lacked a hologram and a signature, as well a false NYPD detective's shield, which was larger than a real one would be, the NYPD said.

Farinon was also caught carrying a fake gun, which looked like a real semi-automatic and was made of black metal, police said.

Farinon was charged with criminal impersonation, possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of a weapon. He was released without bail and his next court date is Dec. 16.

His lawyer could not immediately be reached.

Just two nights later, police were called to the VIP Room again after a man stole six cellphones inside the nightclub in just 45 minutes.

A security guard spotted Charles Aly, 38, grabbing a phone from a woman's pocket at about 2 a.m. on Sept. 1. 

The guard notified police, who searched Aly and found five iPhones and a Samsung S4, valued at a total of $3,700, as well as a credit card that wasn't his, according to the police report. Most of the victims were women in their 20s, police said.

He was charged with grand larceny, police said. Information about his lawyer was not immediately available.

An employee who answered the phone at VIP Room declined to comment.