A man impersonated an ICE agent during a robbery in Northeast Philly where he zip-tied a woman, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.
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Philadelphia man charged with impersonating ICE agent during robbery in Northeast Philly, DA says
By
June 23, 2025 / 5:57 PM EDT / CBS Philadelphia
A 54-year-old man impersonated an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a robbery in
Northeast Philly earlier in June, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office announced Monday.
Robert Rosado, of Lawndale, was
arrested last week in connection with the robbery inside an automobile shop on the 6500 block of Harbison Avenue in Mayfair, where he zip-tied a woman, according to the DA's office.
Rosado was charged with robbery, weapons charges, terroristic threats, impersonating a public servant and other offenses, the DA's office said in a news release.
On June 8, Rosado entered the automobile shop and announced he was an ICE agent and that he "was going to take undocumented employees into custody," the DA's office said.
The DA's office said surveillance video shows Rosado dressed in a black baseball cap, blue latex gloves and a tactical vest that says "Security Enforcement Agent." He also had a black radio, a badge and a chain around his neck and a holstered gun.
Robert Rosado, of Lawndale, was arrested last week in connection with the robbery inside an automobile shop on the 6500 block of Harbison Avenue in Mayfair, where he zip-tied a woman, according to the DA's office. Philadelphia Police Department
Rosado then zip-tied the hands of a woman working at the store, and stole about $1,000 before fleeing the area in an unmarked white van, the DA's office said.
Rosado was arrested after investigators tracked down the van's license plate information from surveillance footage in the neighborhood. Investigators obtained a search warrant and found a fake badge, black radio, holster, an airsoft gun and zip ties, according to the DA's office.
Rosado is being held on $800,000 bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled on July 8.
"The
policies coming from the current administration in Washington, D.C., are making it easier for U.S. citizens to commit crimes against marginalized people, such as immigrants," Philadelphia District Attorney Krasner said in a statement. "I consider this case to be more serious than just a robbery. This is a crime against an entire community of people. My office will prosecute this case vigorously and we intend to seek a higher sentence for this defendant due to the nature of his crimes. Thank you to the Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force for their thorough investigation of this incident."
In February, two
Temple University students were suspended for impersonating ICE agents on campus.
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Philly DA calls out racism after man pretends to be ICE agent in Northeast Philly robbery
Philly DA calls out racism after man pretends to be ICE agent in robbery
DA Larry Krasner spoke out against behavior that he claimed enabled a man to pose as an ICE agent while robbing a Philly business and zip tying a woman.
By
NBC Universal, Inc.
In a press conference on Monday, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office revealed more information about the man accused of pretending to be an ICE agent when he robbed a business and zip tied a woman.
In calling a rise of recent behavior "deeply disturbing," Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner railed against, what he sees as, a rise in racism and attacks targeting marginalized communities due to the rhetoric and policies under the administration of President Donald Trump.
And, on Monday, he pointed to two recent examples of this behavior.
Most specifically, Krasner discussed the recent arrest of Robert Rosado, 54, of Philadelphia, after he, allegedly,
robbed an auto repair shop in Northeast Philadelphia while pretending to be an ICE agent on June 8, 2025.
In recounting the evidence in this case, Assistant District Attorney Joseph Lanuti said that, in the course of this crime, Rosado not only claimed to be an officer of the law while wearing a vest that read "Security Enforcement Agent," but went so far as to claim he was there specifically to root out "illegals."
"He announced that he was with immigration. He informed the employees working there that there were, quote, 'illegals' there," Lanuti said. "He then zip tied one of the employees behind her back."
After this, Rosado stole $1,000 and fled the scene in a white van, according to investigators.
Rosado was later apprehended on June 18, 2025. In a search of two properties connected to Rosado, Lanuti said, investigators recovered a holster, radio, fake badge, zip ties, and an airsoft gun.
He has since been charged with robbery, unlawful restraint, weapon violations and related offenses.
Rosado, officials said, is currently being held in police custody on $800,000 bail.
In discussing this incident, Krasner said he plans to seek a "high sentence" as this case is "a lot more serious."
Krasner accused Rosado of demeaning law enforcement by blurring the line between crime and law enforcement officials. Krasner also claimed Rosado played on fears that have been stoked under the Trump administration.
"The irony of this whole thing is that that guy committing this crime is a U.S. citizen, and yet we have to hear a bunch of nonsense that all the immigrants are on a crime wave," Krasner said about this case. "When all the data shows that they are far less likely to commit crimes than U.S. citizens."
Krasner also pointed to a recent incident at Temple University where
students allegedly posed as ICE agents in an attempt to access a residence hall.
These incident, he said, were enabled by actual ICE agents engaging in conduct that includes "masking up" and not wearing name tags when they conduct raids.
He said because of this "a climate has been created where people almost expect that they will not get due process if there is an ICE raid."
"How did we get here?" asked Krasner. "I think we know that, unfortunately coming from a man who himself has 34 felony convictions, that would be Donald J. Trump, I think that we know that his game has been fear, it has been hate, it has been a deliberate effort to dehumanize immigrants."
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