Police arrest Raleigh man accused of impersonating ICE officer and sexually assaulting woman
A Raleigh man, Carl Thomas Bennett, has been arrested for allegedly impersonating a law enforcement officer to sexually assault a woman, threatening her with deportation if she refused.Posted 9:37 PM Jan 27, 2025 Updated 11:01 AM yesterday
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Raleigh man accused of impersonating ICE agent, threatening woman with deportation before sexually assaulting her
Aaron Thomas, WRAL reporter
A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman after impersonating a law enforcement officer in Raleigh is in custody.
Raleigh Police charged 37-year-old Carl Thomas Bennett with multiple sex crimes and say he threatened to deport the victim if she didn’t take part in sexual acts with him.
Police said they located the victim at the Motel 6 on Sunday around 9 a.m.
Arrest warrants said Bennett "threatened to deport the victim if she did not have sex with him," and "displayed a business card with a badge on it."
WRAL News reached out U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the allegations made by Raleigh police officers.
Nikki Barin Baena, co-director of Siembra NC, shared her concern by what she said is a rise of scams targeting immigrants.
"This is kind of a perfect storm what's happening right now and it's opening up opportunities for people who are not doing any kind of law enforcement to take advantage of people in terrible ways," Baena said.
The grassroots organization, based in Greensboro, focuses on defending the rights of immigrants.
Police didn't specify the race or immigration status of the victim involved.
As false reports of ICE raids in the area ramped up over the weekend, Baena's not surprised by allegations of intimidation through impersonation.
"People wouldn't be surprised that an ICE agent acted in an inappropriate way because they often do act in inappropriate ways to get information out of people," she said.
Baena acknowledges the sense of fears some immigrants have with ICE but is on a mission to make them aware of their rights if an authentic agent does show up.
"You do not have to open the door unless the agent shows you a judicial warrant signed by a judge," Baena said.
Raleigh police officers have not yet shared if Bennett targeted any other victims.
To report suspected ICE activity in your area, call or text Siembra NC's hotline at 336-543-0353.
Para reportar sospechas de actividad de ICE en su área, llame o envíe un mensaje de texto a la línea directa de Siembra NC al 336-543-0353.
