Woodbridge Man Convicted of Impersonating Federal Officer

A federal jury has convicted a Woodbridge man of impersonating a federal officer, a crime that can carry a maximum penalty of three years in prison.

Russel Guye Dadzie, 50, of Woodbridge, was found guilty on May 24 of false impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Dadzie was a third-party contractor security guard for federal buildings since at least 2013.

Dadzie received training that his authority was limited to the immediate area of the building he was assigned to guard and only during his assigned shift. He was also told that he was not a federal employee, federal agent, or federal officer, and that he should not identify himself as such in any context. The training also warned that engaging in this type of misrepresentation could result in criminal charges.

On September 15, 2023, officers with the Prince William County Police Department approached Dadzie’s vehicle in Woodbridge. Dadzie stated multiple times that he was ‘with DHS’ and that he was a ‘DHS officer’ and a ‘federal officer.’ He presented officers with a DHS PIV card to bolster his claims that he was a federal officer.

Dadzie’s repeated claims of being a federal officer continued on November 9, 2023, when a PWCPD officer encountered him and asked to see his driver’s license. Instead, Dadzie showed the officer multiple federal PIV cards and claimed to be a ‘federal officer’ with USAID.

Dadzie is set to be sentenced on September 12 and faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, and the Chief of Prince William County Police made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Lipkowitz are prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-51.

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