A Roswell man is facing felony charges after police say he spent years posing as both a police officer and a pastor, an elaborate double life that unraveled only after his girlfriend began piecing together inconsistencies in his story. Christopher Guillaume was charged with felony impersonating a police officer, along with fraud and theft, according to police.
The case came to light through reporting by WSB-TV, whose reporter Michael Seiden reported from Roswell, Georgia. Shaquanvia Jones, an Army veteran, aspiring nurse, and single mother of four, told the station she met Guillaume back in 2023, and that he claimed to be a Jonesboro police officer throughout much of their relationship, according to Jones. She said Guillaume wore a police badge, carried a gun, and posted videos appearing to show him alongside real officers, all details she says helped sell the illusion.
Guillaume also claimed to be a pastor, according to police, adding a second layer of trusted authority to a persona built, investigators say, on fabrication. As the relationship progressed, Guillaume talked about marriage as recently as February, per Jones, even as cracks in his story reportedly began to show.
How the Deception Started to Unravel
Jones says she was the one who helped expose Guillaume, according to police, growing suspicious enough to dig into claims he'd made about his job and identity. Her account echoes a pattern seen elsewhere in the region: the Jonesboro Police Department, the Clayton County agency Guillaume allegedly claimed to serve, is a municipal force with 26 sworn officers and seven civilian employees, according to the City of Jonesboro — a small department where a false claim of affiliation might have gone unchecked without someone asking the right questions.
Guillaume was ultimately booked into the Fulton County Jail, the same downtown Atlanta facility that opened in 1989 with a design capacity of 1,125 inmates and has faced chronic overcrowding and federal scrutiny, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Although the case was reported out of Roswell, felony arrests in that jurisdiction are routinely bound over to Fulton County Superior Court, per James E. Kee & Associates.
What Georgia Law Says About Fake Officers
Under Georgia's O.C.G.A. § 16-10-23, falsely holding oneself out as a peace officer or public employee with intent to mislead is a felony, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and one to five years in prison, according to Justia Law. The fraud and theft charges Guillaume faces also carry serious weight under state statute; theft by taking or deception involving property valued between $1,500 and $5,000 is itself a felony punishable by one to five years in prison, according to attorney Khalil Eaddy. It remains unclear exactly how much money or property was involved in the fraud and theft allegations against Guillaume, or how he obtained the badge and gear he allegedly used to maintain his cover.
Part of a Broader Pattern Across Metro Atlanta
Guillaume's case fits into a troubling trend that Georgia officials have flagged for years. Back in April 2023, the Georgia Secretary of State's office issued a public alert warning of a rising frequency of fake police officers and security guards targeting residents across metro Atlanta, according to 11Alive. Criminological research cited by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution suggests people who impersonate law enforcement most often do it for material gain, using the appearance of authority to win a victim's trust before exploiting it.
Metro Atlanta has seen several similar cases surface just this year. In February, an apartment resident in northwest Atlanta shot a 22-year-old man who allegedly impersonated a police officer while trying to force his way inside, in a case Hoodline covered where the suspect was also charged under O.C.G.A. § 16-10-23. That same month, Sandy Springs Police arrested two people accused of posing as Fulton County Sheriff's Office personnel in an extortion scheme that defrauded an 80-year-old widow of more than $40,000.
Atlanta police have previously urged anyone who suspects they've encountered a fake officer to report it anonymously to Crime Stoppers Atlanta, guidance the department issued in August 2023. For Jones, the process of uncovering the truth reportedly played out much more personally, inside a relationship she says stretched back to 2023, before her suspicions finally led to Guillaume's arrest.
