Baltimore County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges Related to His Impersonation of a Federal Officer to Commit Credit Card Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

Baltimore, Maryland – Igor Cooper Rosensteel, age 29, of Middle River, Maryland, pleaded guilty to access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.  Rosensteel admitted that he posed as a Secret Service Agent to gain the trust of his victims, then exploited them, stealing bank checks and credit cards, among other things.  The guilty plea was entered on September 1, 2020.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Bo Keane of the United States Secret Service - Baltimore Field Office; and Lieutenant Colonel Kevin M. Anderson, Chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.

According to his guilty plea, on August 3, 2018, Rosensteel was driving in Baltimore when he was pulled over by Maryland Transportation Authority Police for driving with a suspended license.  When the patrol officer requested Rosensteel’s license and registration, Rosensteel instead pulled a law enforcement badge from his pocket, placed it on his lap and told the officer that he was a Secret Service Agent.  The officer detected the odor of alcohol emanating from the vehicle and believed that Rosensteel was attempting to use his law enforcement badge to get out of a traffic ticket.  Rosensteel was transported to the police station and continued to maintain that he was a law enforcement officer.  Local police contacted the U.S. Secret Service in Washington, D.C.  A background investigation revealed that Rosensteel had never worked as an officer or employee of the U.S. government.  After real Secret Service agents traveled to the police station in Baltimore, Rosensteel finally admitted that he had lied about being an agent and that the badge was fake.

As detailed in his plea agreement, additional investigation revealed that from approximately January 2017 through February 2019, Rosensteel falsely held himself out to be a federal law enforcement officer and he used this law enforcement status to defraud at least eight victims.  Specifically, Rosensteel used his law enforcement status to get everything from free parking and food in restaurants, to gaining the trust of women he met online.  Using his phony law enforcement persona to create a sense of security and trust, Rosensteel then exploited his victims by cashing out bank loans in the victims’ names, saddling them with resulting debt and fees.  After being invited into victims’ homes, Rosensteel admitted that he surreptitiously searched their belongings, stealing keys, bank checks, and credit cards, then used those items to go on lavish spending sprees, with resulting losses of more than $20,000.

Rosensteel faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for access device fraud and a mandatory two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for November 10, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the U.S. Secret Service, the Maryland Transportation Authority Police for their work in the investigation, and recognized the Anne Arundel County Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Duey, who is prosecuting the case.

# # #