Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Michael Shea, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and Ken J. Mascara, Sheriff, St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, announced that defendant, Rubin Puspi, a/k/a Imilciades, Alexis Wittgreen, 47, was charged in a criminal complaint with impersonating an officer of the United States, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C., § 912, and fraud relating to identification documents, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. § 1028. The defendant appeared in federal court yesterday for his initial appearance, and was detained without bond pending a bond hearing next week. His arraignment is scheduled for August 27, 2011.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Court, this joint investigation commenced on July 22, 2011, after the St. Lucie Sheriff;’s Office received a complaint from a confidential source (CS). The CS advised the St. Lucie Sheriff’s Office that an individual named Wittgreen had provided the CS with employment knowing that the CS was illegally in the United States. According to the CS, Wittgreen provided the fraudulent work documents the CS needed to get the job. Moreover, Wittgreen purportedly represented himself to be an ICE Agent and threatened to have the CS deported if the CS did not secure him a date.

On July 27, 2011, ICE agents, with the assistance of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, introduced an undercover agent (UCA) to Wittgreen. The UCA posed as an illegal alien looking for employment. During this meeting, Wittgreen showed the UCA what appeared to be a small Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge and identified himself as an ICE Agent. Wittgreen offered the undercover detective a job at the same McDonald’s where the CS worked, and also provided the UCA with the necessary immigration paperwork. Wittgreen also agreed to assist the undercover to obtain a Florida Driver’s License.

Mr. Ferrer would like to thank ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations in Fort Pierce and the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office for their work on this investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana M. Acosta.

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A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.