Crime & Safety
Ex-NYPD Sergeant Admits Posing As ICE Official, Prosecutors Say
The messages warned a New York City family to report to an ICE office or face consequences.
NEW YORK CITY— A former New York City police sergeant pleaded guilty after posing as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official and ordering a woman and her family to report to an ICE office or face legal consequences, according to federal prosecutors.
Atickul Islam, 29, of Queens, admitted Sept. 30 to falsely impersonating a federal officer, according to court records.
He faces up to three years in federal prison when he is sentenced in Brooklyn next year.
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Islam, who also used the name James W. Anderson, sent the victim a series of text messages in March 2025, according to the indictment.
In one message, he threatened to have ICE “come get” the woman and her family.
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About four hours later, he contacted the victim from an unknown number and claimed to be the director of ICE’s New York field office, according to the indictment.
He told the family they had been reported to ICE and ordered them to report to an ICE office by April 15 or face “further legal action and enforcement measures,” according to the charging document.
The victim and family members were not identified in court records.
Islam resigned from the New York Police Department on Sept. 25 as part of his plea agreement, according to prosecutors.
The agreement also bars him from applying for another position with the NYPD or any law enforcement agency, according to the government.
Islam initially pleaded not guilty after his November 2025 arrest.
He later changed his plea after months of discovery and negotiations, court records show.
At his September hearing, the government told the judge the victim had been notified but did not attend.
U.S. District Judge Dora L. Irizarry scheduled sentencing for March 2027 in Brooklyn federal court.
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