District Attorney Keith Higgins announces that a Glynn County jury found Frederick Parisi, 56, of White Oak, Georgia, guilty of Impersonating a Law Enforcement Officer, Unlawful Use of Blue Lights, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon following a jury trial on October 13, 2023.
Evidence presented at trial showed that in January of 2023, Frederick Parisi was hired as a night shift security guard at the Jekyll Island Club hotel on Jekyll Island. Parisi went to the Georgia State Trooper Post on Jekyll Island to introduce himself and offer his assistance if they ever required backup for any calls. He held himself out as a 30-year veteran of the Iowa State Patrol. This would be one of many lies Parisi told both Troopers and others he encountered.
During his employment as a security guard at the hotel, Parisi told several people that he was the Director of Public Safety for Jekyll Island (a position actually held by Dennis Gailey for the last 5 years). He also told one Trooper he was POST certified. POST stands for the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council and a law enforcement officer in Georgia is required to have POST certification to have arrest powers and work in law enforcement. Parisi also created his own uniform for the hotel that had a badge that said “Jekyll Officer.” He also created a vest that said “Jekyll K-9” on it. Georgia State Patrol is the only law enforcement agency on the Island.
Parisi also added police blue lights and police scanner to his personal vehicle to make it resemble an undercover police vehicle. Parisi would show up at numerous emergency calls in his “Jekyll Officer” or “Jekyll K9” attire, and in some instances with his blue flashing lights on. Troopers warned him that it was illegal to have blue lights in his vehicle since he was not in law enforcement and did not have a permit.
On May 5, the commander at the Georgia State Patrol Post received information from Glynn County Sheriff Neal Jump that Parisi had active warrants for his arrest from the State of New Jersey. He was arrested that day at the Jekyll Island Club. In his “office” (a storage closet he had converted into an office), Troopers discovered a 9mm handgun which was identified as belonging to Parisi. Troopers then learned that Parisi had been convicted of felonies for theft in New Jersey, as well as a Federal conviction for impersonating a Secret Service Agent.
Among the witnesses who testified at trial was a representative from POST who testified that Parisi was not, and had never been, POST certified. Also testifying was a representative from the Iowa Department of Public Safety who testified that Parisi was employed less than 60 days in 1994 and was fired for incompetence.
According to Assistant District Attorney Taylor Herron, who prosecuted the case for the State, “Anyone who puts blue lights in their personal car and pretends to be a police officer is a danger to the community. People should feel safe knowing that blue lights and a badge mean a trained law enforcement officer, not a convicted felon with delusions of being a police officer. The District Attorney’s Office is grateful to the jury for seeing the truth and holding Parisi accountable.”
The case was investigated by the Georgia State Patrol and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Sentencing by Superior Court Judge Roger B. Lane will be held at a later date. Parisi faces the possibility of 16 years in prison.
Members of the media with further questions may contact the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office at 912-554-7200.
