A retired NYPD officer was arrested outside the U.S. Capitol Friday morning after he was found with a fake badge, a BB gun, body armor and high capacity magazines, according to United States Capitol Police.
Jerome Felipe, 53, was approached by a U.S. Capitol Police officer after parking his car on the West side of the Capitol, the department said in a press release.
“Felipe, who is a retired police officer out of New York, presented the USCP officers with a fake badge that had ‘Department of the INTERPOL’ printed on it,” Capitol Police said. “Felipe also made a false statement that he was a criminal investigator with the agency.”
Jerome Felipe is listed as the CEO of Zabal Investigations
Felipe, who currently hails from Flint, Mich., then gave officers permission to search his vehicle, police said. That’s when they found the BB gun, two ballistic vests, several high capacity magazines and other ammunition.
No other firearms were found and investigators said they were still trying to determine why he was there.
Felipe retired from the NYPD in 2018, the agency confirmed to Gothamist in an email on Friday, adding that the NYPD is fully cooperating with the investigation. Records show he began working at the NYPD in 2003.
A LinkedIn account with Felipe’s name lists him as a retired police officer, having served from July 2003 to November 2018. It also lists him as a former member of the United States Marine Corps. His most recent entry lists him as the CEO of Zabal Inc. which describes itself as a “federal fugitive recovery agent agency” or bounty hunter.
