FRANKFORT, Ky. — A Madison County man has pleaded guilty in federal court to impersonating a Homeland Security agent after he falsely claimed to be a federal officer in an attempt to equip his vehicle with police-style emergency lights and sirens, court records show.
Roderick Anibel Tejeda entered the guilty plea Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Frankfort before Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove. Prosecutors said Tejeda posed as a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a division of the Department of Homeland Security that investigates crimes involving smuggling, trafficking, and contraband.
According to a plea agreement filed in the case, Tejeda contacted L&W Outfitters, a company in Anderson County that outfits first-responder vehicles, on June 3, 2024, asking to have red and blue lights, a siren, and other emergency equipment installed on his vehicle. He told an employee he was an HSI agent, but the business asked for proof of law-enforcement credentials before proceeding.
A few weeks later, Tejeda returned to the shop and handed over two generic “challenge coins,” tokens sometimes used in law enforcement circles, apparently to bolster his story. On a follow-up call in July, he again told a company employee he was a federal agent. Then, on Aug. 16, 2024, Tejeda arrived in person wearing a shirt printed with “HSI Special Agent,” “Police,” and “ICE,” according to court documents.
In reality, prosecutors said, Tejeda was not and had never been a federal agent.
Under the plea agreement, Tejeda admitted to “falsely pretending to be a federal law enforcement officer” in violation of federal law. He faces up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced on March 11, 2026. He has been released on bond pending sentencing.
