A former New York City police sergeant, Atickul Islam, aged 29 from Queens, pleaded guilty to impersonating a federal immigration official. His actions involved threatening a woman and her family with deportation. This conduct, as described by prosecutors, was an attempt to exact revenge on a personal acquaintance.
In federal court in Brooklyn, Islam admitted to falsely claiming to be a U.S. officer, a federal violation that could result in up to three years imprisonment. U.S. District Judge Dora L. Irizarry accepted his plea. Court documents revealed Islam, a previously employed NYPD sergeant, had pretended to be the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s New York Field Office. He sent phony immigration notices to the woman, ordering her and her family to report to an ICE office in New York City by April 2025.
President Donald Trump’s administration has considerably expanded ICE to enforce mass deportations, significantly increasing its workforce through substantial funding. This heightened enforcement profile has sparked a rise in people pretending to be ICE agents. During this environment, Islam sent threatening text messages, including telling the woman her family would always “live poor” and that ICE might seize them. He falsely identified as the ICE director in subsequent communications, warning of legal consequences.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr., emphasized that law enforcement officers are expected to act with integrity, condemning Islam’s misuse of authority for personal vendetta. James C. Barnacle Jr. from the FBI stated that Islam had used fake authority to intimidate a victim. Following his guilty plea, Islam resigned from the NYPD on September 25, under the plea agreement. He cannot apply for positions in law enforcement.
Islam initially contested his charges after his 2025 arrest, securing a $25,000 bond. The case involved months of legal processes before his plea change on September 30. At the hearing, the victim, informed of the proceedings, did not attend. Islam resigned from the NYPD as required before admitting to the charge.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 2027, with Islam potentially facing three years in prison. The sentence will be decided by the court. In 2025, the FBI had warned of criminals exploiting ICE’s visibility, highlighting similar impersonation cases. These included crimes like robbery, kidnapping, and assaults, urging clear officer identification during operations.
The FBI cited several impersonation cases, including incidents in North Carolina, Brooklyn, and Florida, involving threats, assaults, attempted rape, and kidnapping under the pretense of deportation. ICE’s spokesperson condemned such impersonations, affirming they are both dangerous and illegal. Retired ICE agent Scott Mechkowski highlighted that impersonations have been a problem since DHS’s inception, noting it might now be easier to pose as an ICE agent.