Woodbridge man impersonates federal officer multiple times

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. - A Woodbridge man has been charged and convicted of false impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States.

The suspect, 50-year-old Russel Guye Dadzie, 50, was a third-party contractor security guard for federal buildings since at least 2013. Dadzie received training that his authority was limited to the immediate area of the building he was assigned to guard and only during his assigned shift. 

That training also explains that he is not a federal employee, federal agent, or federal officer, that he should not identify himself as such in any context, and that engaging in this type of misrepresentation could result in criminal charges. Dadzie received this training on multiple occasions, including in January 2023. 

Officers with the Prince William County Police Department approached Dadzie’s vehicle in Woodbridge on Sept. 15. Dadzie stated multiple times that he was "with DHS" and that he was a "DHS officer" and a "federal officer." In lieu of a driver's license, Dadzie presented officers with a DHS PIV card to bolster his claims that he was a federal officer. 

When asked about his vehicle, he challenged police, "You’re asking a federal officer if there’s anything illegal in his vehicle?"

A PWCPD officer encountered Dadzie on Nov. 9, noting that the inspection sticker on his windshield was expired. When the officer requested to see Dadzie’s driver's license, Dadzie instead showed the officer multiple federal PIV cards he possessed, handed the officer a USAID PIV card, and claimed to be a "federal officer" with USAID.

Dadzie faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison when sentenced on Sept. 12.