IMPOSTOR BUSTED ‘People thought I was an FBI’

He said some people had always mistaken him for either a police officer or an FBI agent. He didn’t want these people to find out that he wasn’t what they thought he was, so he tried to live up to their misconception.

Nick Castro must have thought his mischief was innocent and funny, but his victims and the prosecutors were not laughing.

Yesterday, Castro pled guilty to the charge of impersonating a federal law officer before Federal Judge Alex Munson.

The sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 8, 2000.

Munson ordered Castro to stay away from school campuses as one of the conditions for his temporary release.

Munson said Castro may only be allowed to enter a school premise if he has a valid reason to do so, and if permitted by the court.

Castro, who was represented by lawyer Ken Govendo at the plea bargaining, was also ordered to seek mental health counseling.

“This is an unusual kind of criminal case, but it serves as an important reminder that people should not represent or act as police officers if they are not. They are violating the civil rights of civilians,” said Assistant US Attorney David Wood, who prosecuted the case.

“If a person does something bad in the guise of a policeman, it can affect the people’s attitude toward real police officers,” Wood added.

Castro was arrested last Sept. 24, following complaints that he had harassed students at Marianas High School after identifying himself as an agent of the Federal-CNMI Drug Task Force.

Carrying a starter pistol and showing a fake Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) badge, Castro “conducted an unlawful and unauthorized search” of the students’ bags.

“He asked these students to dump out the contents of their bags, telling them that he was on official business searching for illegal drugs,” Wood said. “The students complied, believing that he was a real law enforcer.”

Investigation did not show that Castro attempted to rob the students, Wood said.

Two days before conducting the illegal search, Wood said, Castro met with the school principal and administrators, identifying himself as a representative of the anti-drug task force and telling them that he was on an official mission at MHS.

Wood said Castro was also wearing a blue official task force shirt that “aided in making him look authentic.”

Wood said Castro could have been charged with another federal offense for illegal possession of an ATF badge, whether fake or real, but the prosecution decided to file only the impersonation offense.

“We just charged him with that offense since he used the fake badge to convey his misrepresentation,” Wood explained.