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On Friday morning, capitol police arrested 53-year-old Jerome Felipe, a former New York City police officer who was allegedly found outside of the Capitol building with a fake badge, body armor, a BB gun and high-capacity ammunition.
According to Detroit News, when authorities approached Felipe outside the Capitol building, the former officer presented them with the fake badge, which read “Department of the INTERPOL”. Felipe claimed to be a criminal investigator with the agency.
Felipe was detained for unlawful possession of high capacity magazines and unregistered ammunition. Investigators have not yet determined Felipe’s motivations for being parked outside the Capitol building.
As per his LinkedIn, Felipe has been operating his own federal fugitive recovery business since 2018.
All you need to know about Jerome Felipe
A resident of Flint, Michigan, Jerome Felipe served 15 years in the New York City Police Department, working there from 2003-2018. According to NBC, Felipe retired on disability. His career with the NYPD was marred by the fact that he reportedly misrepresented himself as a detective, despite the fact that he was only an officer.
CNBC reported that due to these allegations, Jerome Felipe was not provided the same “good guy” letter as many other officers. The document legally permits retired cops to carry arms. In fact, it was revealed that Felipe’s NYPD card states “No firearm.”
As the current CEO of Zabal Inc, a federal fugitive recover business, Jerome Felipe claims to specialize in wiretaps, cold cases, surveillance, investigations and finding missing people. He claims to have 32 years’ experience as a recruiter for the United States Marine Corps.
According to People News, on Friday, Felipe allegedly traveled from Michigan in his 2017 Dodge Challenge, parking the vehicle near Peace Circle on the West side of the Capitol around 5 am.
After Felipe was confronted by Capitol Police officers, he presented them with his face Interpol ID. After police grew suspicious, Felipe consented to a search of his vehicle, which revealed the 2 ballistic vets, a BB gun, a number of high-capacity magazines and an assortment of ammunition. No real guns were present on his person.
According to a statement from the Capitol Police, they are still working with NYPD to investigate the case. The statement read:
“(we) are still working to determine the reason Felipe was parked outside the capitol.”
A spokesperson from the New York City Police department spoke to People News about the case, saying that they have been co-operating with the Capitol Police investigation.
The arrest follows the unrest at the U.S. Capitol last year, during which Trump supporters incited a riot and attacked the building in protest of the election results. According to People News, several former and active duty officers were arrested for their roles in the insurrection.
