Impersonating a public servant

Crime that involves pretending to hold a public office.

Impersonating a public servant, impersonating a public officer or impersonating a public official is a crime or misdemeanor in several jurisdictions. It consists of pretending to hold a public office and exercise that authority or attempt to induce another person to do something.[1][2][3][4] There have for example been charges for impersonating a fire inspector,[5] a city code compliance officer,[6] a child protective services official,[7] and ICE agents.[8][9]

## See also

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* Police impersonation
* Military impostor

## Sources

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1. ^ "Impersonating a Public Officer | False Impersonation". DC Criminal Lawyer. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
2. ^ "Impersonating A Public Servant". Fienman Defense. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
3. ^ "German Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch – StGB)". www.gesetze-im-internet.de. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
4. ^ "Swedish Penal Code, Chapter 17, Section 15" (PDF). Government.se. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
5. ^ lehighvalleylive.com, Kurt Bresswein | For (2022-08-09). "'Fire inspector' in Wind Gap charged with impersonating public servant, cops say". lehighvalleylive. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
6. ^ Svitek, Patrick (2022-06-24). "Republican Texas House candidate in Collin County charged with impersonating public servant". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
7. ^ "Texas woman accused of impersonating public servant to take child custody 'by force'". KVEO-TV. 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
8. ^ Moshtaghian, Artemis; Pazmino, Gloria; Valencia, Nick (2025-02-04). "ICE impersonators on the rise: Arrests made as authorities issue national warning". CNN. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
9. ^ "Rash of ICE impersonation follows Trump immigration crackdown, police say". The Washington Post. February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.