During his appearance Wednesday in Pomona, 51-year-old Yupeng Deng waived arraignment until May 2, but his lawyer requested a hearing Friday in attempt to lower bail from $500,000 to $160,000.

Prosecutors say Deng recruited other Chinese nationals to join what he called the “US Army/Military Special Forces Reserve unit,” then gave them fake Army uniforms and counterfeit military ID cards while charging hundreds of dollars in fees.

The recruits were instructed to report to Deng's office in Temple City, which was decorated to look like a military recruiting center.