Homeland Security & Western District Detective Unit
Extortion and Impersonation
On July 23, 2019, detectives from the Anne Arundel County Police Homeland Security Division and Western District Detective Unit received information regarding an individual who had been impersonating police and extorting money from Hispanic business owners. The investigation revealed that over the past several months, the suspect visited area businesses owned and operated by members of the Hispanic community and solicited donations for a purported charity “TSI Trinity Syndicates Impact”, which the suspect claimed helped the Hispanic community. During these visits, the suspect would dress in a manner that gave him the appearance of being a member of a law enforcement agency in an effort to validate his cause and gain trust of the business owners. The suspect would sometimes wear a bullet proof vest, a body camera and a badge and would often claim that he works closely with the Anne Arundel County Police. The suspect would frequently show pictures of himself having close interaction with actual police officers.
On one occasion, the suspect requested one of our community outreach officers to respond to where the suspect was conducting his activities to comfort a young man who feared police. Detectives later learned that the suspect manipulated the officer for the purposes of adding credibility to his nefarious scheme. The officer was unaware of the suspect’s intent at the time.
In exchange for the requested donations, the suspect would agree to perform licensing tasks on behalf of the business owner. As a result of this fraudulent activity, the suspect was able to extort tens of thousands of dollars from unsuspecting local business owners.
On August 1, 2019, detectives located the suspect, identified as Christopher Jefferson, and placed him in custody. Detectives executed a search warrant at the suspect’s residence located in the 7500 block of Trafalgar Circle in Hanover, Maryland. As a result of the search warrant, detectives recovered a ballistic vest and multiple “TSI” badges.
Christopher Jefferson has put a major strain on the Anne Arundel County Hispanic community. We strongly and wholeheartedly believe there are dozens of other victims and victim businesses in our county who may be hesitant to come forward. We ask that business owners and operators who have been victimized to put their trust in the Anne Arundel County Police Department and come forward.
Chief of Police Timothy Altomare said at a press conference, “We work so hard to make sure that this badge and patch bring positivity, calm to chaos, safety to violence, and service to everyone. That I’m having a hard time assimilating as I go through this thing, how a human being could do this.”
County Executive Steuart Pittman said, “I think it’s very important for everybody to understand, especially our immigrant community to understand, regardless of immigration status, that our police department is here to protect and serve.”
