Man claiming to be a sheriff accused of impersonating a cop

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — A New York man claiming he was "The Sheriff" was arrested on New Year's Day after investigators said he tried to impersonate a law enforcement officer to get rid of a lien placed against his new home. 

Todd Gieger, 51, of Montville, New York, faces two counts of false impersonation of a law enforcement officer, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. 

Sheriff's investigators said they learned in November that Gieger tried to intimidate a subcontractor who had placed a lien against the home Gieger was having built in Sarasota County due to lack of payment.

Geiger drove to the subcontractor's neighborhood in a white Maserati with New Jersey license plates and asked neighbors about him. 

"He was wearing a bulletproof vest, had a law enforcement type badge clipped to his belt, and he was presenting himself as the sheriff," Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Jason Mruczek told news outlets. 

Gieger also called other subcontractors involved in the lien and the construction company building his home, the agency said. 

During these calls he also claimed to be a law enforcement officer The agency did not say how the allegations came to light or if Gieger made any statements when deputies arrested him. Gieger was released from jail on Thursday. Jail records did not list a lawyer for him.