Guliano Christopher Thomson, 38, pleaded guilty to impersonating a public servant and robbery by threat in Harris County District Court.
District Judge Peyton Peebles accepted the prosecution’s recommendation and issued a four-year sentence. Thomson could have faced up to 20 years in prison had the case gone to trial.
According to prosecutors, Thomson used his personal vehicle to box in a driver on Skyline Drive in west Houston around 1 a.m. on June 23, 2025. He flashed a badge, identified himself as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, and demanded cash from the victim.
The man handed over roughly $1,800 and a Guatemalan ID card. Houston Police Department officers arrested Thomson the following day during a traffic stop in the Third Ward.
Thomson had previously been released on parole in July 2024 after a prior arson conviction, in which he was accused of pulling a woman over by convincing her something was wrong with her vehicle, secretly igniting a fire near one of her tires, and then offering to perform the repairs.
He had received a 10-year sentence for that charge. Court records also show prior convictions for theft, driving while intoxicated, credit card abuse, and possession of a fictitious license plate, along with more than a dozen alleged bond violations.
The Thomson case is part of a broader national pattern.
A CNN review of court filings, social media posts, and local news reports identified at least two dozen incidents in 2025 of people posing as ICE agents, more than during the previous four presidential administrations combined. The crimes ranged from robbery and assault to kidnapping and rape. At least one other impersonation incident occurred in Houston last year: in November, a man allegedly displayed a card bearing the word “ICE” to a massage parlor employee and demanded money.
ICE has condemned the practice in clear terms. “ICE strongly condemns the impersonation of its officers or agents,” the agency said in a statement. “This action is not only dangerous, but illegal.”
The agency encouraged anyone who believes they have been targeted by an impersonator to contact the Homeland Security Investigations tip line at 866-347-2423.
