MIAMI (TNND) — A man accused of posing as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent to intimidate voters at a Miami Dade College polling site during Brazil’s presidential election has been arrested, authorities said.
Danilo Alves Silva, 46, of Port St. Lucie, was taken into custody Sunday after Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Homeland Security Bureau detectives saw him aggressively pacing between buildings at the polling site, according to an arrest report obtained by CBS News Miami.
The report says Silva wore a blue ICE hat, sunglasses, a camouflage mask, a blue “ICE raid jacket” and tactical boots, and carried a handheld radio.
Danilo Alves Silva accused of dressing up as ICE agent at Miami polling site (Miami-Dade Corrections)
Deputies followed Silva as he moved between two voting buildings and said he approached several people who appeared afraid that an immigration agent was interfering with the election and might deport voters.
When a concerned voter and a person carrying a camera confronted Silva about scaring people, deputies said he responded aggressively before detectives intervened.
After he was detained, officers said Silva admitted the outfit was a “prop costume” he bought on Amazon and claimed he was not breaking any laws. He said he first voted while wearing a Brazilian jersey, then changed clothes to see people’s reactions while recording them, according to the report.
Deputies wrote that, given the political climate and the large number of foreign citizens voting at the site, Silva’s actions created the potential for voter intimidation.
Silva also allegedly told detectives while in custody that they would regret their decision and that he would come after everyone at the scene. He allegedly attempted to bribe officers, telling them, “I will get you paid if you let me go,” according to the affidavit.
The college’s chief of security issued Silva a formal trespass warning barring him from returning to Miami Dade College’s Kendall Campus.
Silva faces charges of felony voting intimidation, bribery, threatening a public servant, unlawful use of police insignia and disorderly conduct. He posted a $5,650 bond and was released from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. His next hearing is Oct. 19, when prosecutors will decide whether to formally file charges.