Full Breakdown
Former NYPD Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Impersonating ICE Officer in Personal Revenge
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
Atickul Islam, a former New York City Police Department sergeant, pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to falsely personating a U.S. immigration official. On March 29 2025 he sent text messages to a Queens woman, threatening that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would “come get” her and her family and demanding they report to an ICE office in New York City by April 15 2025. He later sent a second message from an unknown number, claiming to be the director of ICE’s New York Field Office and presenting the demand as an official notice. Prosecutors said the conduct was intended to exact personal revenge after the woman rebuffed his romantic advances.
Background & Context
The incident occurred during the second Trump administration, a period in which ICE expanded its workforce and public profile. Federal officials have warned that the agency’s heightened visibility has been exploited by criminals posing as immigration officers. In November 2025 the FBI issued a nationwide bulletin linking five separate 2025 incidents to ICE impersonators, including assaults, robberies and kidnapping attempts.
Timeline
- March 29 2025 – Islam texts the victim with threats and later a fabricated ICE directive.
- April 15 2025 – Deadline Islam set for the victim’s family to appear at an ICE office (did not occur).
- September 25 – Islam resigns from the NYPD, five days before entering a guilty plea.
- September 30 – Change-of-plea hearing scheduled (later held).
- Wednesday, September 30 2026 – Islam enters a guilty plea to a single count of false personation of a federal officer.
- March 24 2027 – Court-scheduled sentencing date.
Data & Statistics
- The false-personation charge carries a statutory maximum of three years imprisonment; federal sentencing guidelines estimate a range of zero to six months.
- The FBI bulletin cited five ICE-impersonation incidents in 2025, involving robberies, assaults and kidnapping.
- Under the plea agreement, Islam is barred from re-joining the NYPD or any other law-enforcement agency and loses the right to possess firearms.
Official Statements & Responses
- **James C.
- John Arlia, Islam’s attorney, told the court that his client sent “a subsequent apology text” to the woman shortly after the threats.
Verbatim Quotes
- “There was an apology text within hours,” — John Arlia
What’s Next
Islam’s sentencing is set for March 24 2027. The court will determine the length of his prison term within the statutory maximum.