Noman Sabit: A 29-year-old Bangladeshi NYPD sergeant pretended to be an ICE agent as part of a twisted revenge plot against a woman who rebuffed him, according to law-enforcement sources Tuesday.
Sgt. Atickul Islam, who lives at home with his father and brother, met the woman online and made romantic overtures before she rejected him, sources said.
While off-duty, he then threatened to send ICE to her Queens home in March, telling her he was a “field director’’ with the federal immigration agency, according to the feds and sources. Sgt. Atickul Islam, who lives at home with his father and brother, met the woman online and made romantic overtures before she rejected him. Islam, also known as “James W. Anderson,” also warned his victim that she and her family had to report to the ICE location in New York City by April 15, according to an indictment. The immigration status of his target and her family is not clear.
The cop came on authorities’ radar when the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau got a report of harassment and discovered he had impersonated an ICE agent during the incident, sources said. The NYPD immediately reported the situation to the feds, sources said.
Islam, who works out of Service Area 3 in Brooklyn, was indicted on one count of false personation of an officer or employee of the United States and arrested Tuesday. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and was released on a $25,000 personal bond by Brooklyn Magistrate Judge Taryn Merkl.
Assistant US Attorney Rebecca Schuman did not offer up any details about Islam’s alleged motive at his arraignment — but did ask the judge to order the cop to stay away from his love interest’s home because “he knows where the victim lives.” The judge ordered Islam to have no contact whatsoever with her.
Islam’s lawyer, John Arlia, said in court that the NYPD suspended the officer with pay while seizing both his badge and service weapon.
The lawyer, who introduced Islam as “Sgt. Islam” in court, said in court that his client is “absolutely adamant about fighting these charges.” The cop did not respond when asked after court why he pretended to be an ICE agent. If convicted, he faces a maximum of three years in prison.
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