A 37-year-old Lake Worth man is facing charges after witnesses say he claimed to be an ICE agent and flashed what appeared to be federal law enforcement badges inside a West Palm Beach Little Caesars. Police identified him as Wilfido Darinel Bamaca Garcia and say the confrontation began around 9:15 p.m. at the pizza shop on the 5900 block of South Dixie Highway.
According to CBS12, a witness said Bamaca Garcia walked into the restaurant looking for someone named Alex. When told that no one by that name worked there, he allegedly claimed affiliation with ICE and displayed badges the witness identified as ICE credentials. He reportedly told the witness, “Don’t play me like a fool.”
A second witness told police that Bamaca Garcia displayed badges identified as belonging to both ICE and the FBI, per the same report. Officers investigating the call later found a silver Dodge sedan matching the vehicle description parked at a business at 6200 South Dixie Highway, with Bamaca Garcia seated in the driver's seat and the engine running.
Badges, a Revoked License and Two Felony Counts
When Bamaca Garcia opened his wallet, an officer reported seeing identification cards bearing the words “Special Agent” alongside insignias for the FBI and ICE, the station's report states. Police also determined that his driver's license had been revoked. He was arrested on suspicion of driving with a revoked license while officers continued investigating the impersonation allegations, and the arrest affidavit notes he was previously found guilty of operating a motor vehicle without a license on Aug. 24.
Bamaca Garcia now faces two counts of falsely personating an officer and one count of driving with a suspended or revoked license following a prior conviction. Under Florida law, falsely assuming or pretending to be certain listed officers and acting in that capacity is a third-degree felony, with enhanced penalties possible in specified circumstances, according to the Florida Legislature.
A Pattern Playing Out Elsewhere in South Florida
The West Palm Beach case follows a similar episode in Miami-Dade County, where 46-year-old Danilo Silva was arrested after wearing U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement attire at a Miami-Dade College election venue, according to NBC Miami. Witnesses said Silva wore a blue ICE hat, sunglasses, a face mask, a blue ICE raid jacket and boots while walking aggressively around the polling site.
Silva was charged with voter intimidation, conspiracy to commit bribery and unlawful use of a police badge, the outlet reported. He told detectives the ICE attire was a costume he had bought on Amazon and denied being a federal agent.
