A Maryland man charged with impersonating an ICE agent also apparently fooled a detective with the Falls Church Police Department and the FBI is leading the investigation.
Itai Ozderman, 35, of Gaithersburg, is named in a search warrant filed in Arlington County Circuit Court.
The document alleges Ozderman convinced his girlfriend, Jannie Clipp, a Falls Church detective, that he was "a Baltimore County Police Officer working on an ICE Task Force."
The warrant says Clipp claimed she was at the Eden Center in Falls Church on September 30, 2016, "conducting surveillance on a target vehicle for an ATF Task Force."
Sergeant Sonya Richardson called federal authorities and found out no such surveillance happened. She also determined that "no one named Itai Ozdreman ever worked as a law enforcement officer anywhere in Maryland."
"It's embarrassing, it's a gut check," said Falls Church Police Chief Mary Gavin, who said she's hoping the FBI can help them pinpoint how the suspect was able to deceive detective Clipp "so that this never happens again."
During the fake surveillance at the Eden Center, the warrant states that Ozderman was seen wearing a bulletproof vest that read "ICE POLICE," a badge and a pistol in a holster on his waist. The manager of the H2O cafe told the FBI that Ozderman saw a patron smoking and threatened to "shut him down" since "he worked with Homeland Seecutiry and that enforcing smoking violations was just a small part of his job."
The warrant also alleges that Ozderman was seen sitting inside the Falls Church Police Criminal Investigations Office with his Clip, "at the computer with the keyboard in his lap."
Chief Gavin told WUSA9 that that fact Ozderman was in their investigation officer is troubling, but that they are "not certain that he was in the computers."
Chief Gavin says Detective Clipp has been suspended as the FBI's investigation continues.
New charges against Ozderman are expected in a week or so. Police sources confirm to WUSA9 that Itai Ozderman worked in IT at the Washington Post.
In a search of Ozderman's home on February 22, Montgomery County Police say found seven handguns, two assault rifles, and a shotgun, along with body armor, tactical vests, ammunition, and what appeared to be a Baltimore County Police badge.
Ozdreman is charged with two misdemeanors, impersonating a police officer and transporting a handgun in a vehicle. Ozderman was released after posting a $10,000 bond.
No one answered a knocked on his door on March 7th.
