U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is asking the public for help in locating a Romanian national wanted for manufacturing counterfeit CIA and Homeland Security badges that were used in attempts to gain access to restricted areas at the Naval Nuclear Training Command and Reagan National Airport.
Interpol has also issued a Red Notice for the arrest of 34-year-old Roberto Craciunica, who is thought to be hiding out in Germany.
“From January 2010 to September 2015, Craciunica’s company, Master Equipment, manufactured and distributed counterfeit U.S. law enforcement badges from HSI, the CIA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation without authorization,” ICE said in a Monday news release.
The release details three incidents between 2013 and 2015 where badges produced and distributed by Craciunica were used to impersonate CIA and Homeland Security officials.
The first instance took place in July 2013 when a man entered a Michigan movie theater wearing body armor and carrying a gun. “When approached by police, he presented a counterfeit Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) badge and credentials,” the release states.
Six months later, TSA denied a man access to a restricted area in Reagan National Airport after noticing “inconsistencies” between his statements and CIA credentials, which turned out to be counterfeit.
Last August, a third man was indicted on charges of impersonating a federal law enforcement agent. The man reportedly used a “counterfeit Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) badge and credentials to enter the Naval Nuclear Training Command in South Carolina while armed with a Sig Sauer pistol.”
The ICE notes that “All three of these situations have one thing in common; the badges and credentials originated from a German-based company called Master Equipment,” operated by Craciunica.
Homeland Security special agents in D.C. “seized counterfeit badges and seals purchased from Web domains operated by Master Equipment and Craciunica” in connection with the investigation.
ICE is asking anyone with information on Craciunica’s whereabouts to “please contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or www.ICE.gov/tips.”
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