Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Monmouth County Man Indicted for Possession of Firearm and Fraudulent Drug Enforcement Administration Credentials While Falsely Impersonating Federal Law Enforcement Agent
TRENTON, N.J. — A Monmouth County, New Jersey, man was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing fraudulent Drug Enforcement Administration credentials while impersonating a federal law enforcement agent, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Wesley Rucker, 36, of Tinton Falls, New Jersey, is charged by indictment with one count each of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, false impersonation of an officer of the United States and possession of imitation federal law enforcement credentials.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Oct. 22, 2021, Rucker, a previously convicted felon, sought medical treatment in the emergency room of a hospital in Red Bank, New Jersey. While administering medical assistance, hospital staff observed a handgun in Rucker’s waistband. Rucker told hospital staff, and later local police, that he was a federal law enforcement officer and displayed fraudulent credentials falsely identifying Rucker as an employee of the Drug Enforcement Administration. As a previously convicted felon, Rucker is not permitted to possess a firearm under federal law.
The count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The count of false impersonation of an officer of the United States carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The count of possession of imitation federal law enforcement credentials carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the ATF, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller, with the investigation leading to the charges and arrest. He also thanked the Red Bank, New Jersey, Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian D. Brater of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
rucker.indictment.pdf (156.9 KB)