A Chinese national has been sentenced to three years in prison in California for duping other Chinese immigrants to pay him so they could join a fake U.S. Army unit he created.

Yupeng Deng was sentenced Wednesday in Los Angeles after pleading guilty to charges of theft by false pretenses, creating false government documents and counterfeit of an official government seal.

Deng recruited over 200 Chinese nationals to join what he called the U.S. Army/Military Special Forces Reserve unit, of which he was “supreme commander.” He charged them between $300 and $450 to join the fake squad with a promise that it would lead to eventual citizenship.

Deng provided the group with uniforms, false documents and military identification cards. He led the group in a parade in Los Angeles and took them on a visit to the U.S.S. Midway, a famous World War Two-era warship now serving as a museum in San Diego.

A state prosecutor said Deng was, in reality, the “supreme con artist.”

Deng also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of possession of child pornography, which police found during a search of his home.