Atickul Islam has pleaded guilty in federal court to falsely impersonating a high-level federal immigration official. The 29-year-old former New York City police sergeant entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Dora L. Irizarry in Brooklyn, according to the Daily News. The charge carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison. As part of his agreement with the Department of Justice, Islam resigned from the New York City Police Department just five days before his court appearance.
He is now barred from applying for another position with the NYPD or any other law enforcement agency. Prosecutors explained that Islam used the threat of deportation to harass a woman and her family. The woman had rebuffed his romantic advances, law enforcement sources told the Daily News, and prosecutors described the conduct as an attempt to “take revenge” on her. She was notified of the plea hearing and was not present, per the court docket.
The scheme started in the spring of 2025. According to federal prosecutors, Islam texted the woman from his personal phone, “ICE will come get you and your family and you will always live poor. Matter of fact I will make the phone call myself.” He also indicated that he knew where the family lived. About four hours later, he contacted the woman from an unknown number and falsely identified himself as the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s New York Field Office.
He texted her as himself before he texted her as ICE
He told her she was receiving an “official notice” as someone had reported her to authorities. Prosecutors said he also went by the name James W. Anderson. To make the threat seem real, Islam presented the message as an official ICE directive. This fabricated notice ordered the woman and her family to report to an ICE facility in New York City by April 15, 2025. It also included warnings that failing to appear would result in further legal action and enforcement measures…