He abused badge he wasn't entitled to

An Allentown man who authorities said pretended to be a special agent of the National Security Administration as part of a plan to get back at a woman who rejected him pleaded guilty in federal court in Philadelphia yesterday to impersonating a federal law-enforcement officer.

Nelson J. Galeas, 39, who has been in federal custody since his arrest in September, also admitted to posing as an FBI agent in a separate incident and was previously convicted in Lehigh County for impersonating a public servant.

U.S. District Judge Stewart Dalzell set sentencing for April 16. Galeas could face eight to 14 months behind bars under advisory guidelines, prosecutors said.

The government's plea memorandum said Galeas met a woman identified as "C.S." in November 2006 and told her he worked for the National Security Administration in Philadelphia. (It's actually the National Security Agency.)

After the woman spurned Galeas' romantic advances, he allegedly told her that if she went back to her ex-boyfriend, identified as "M.D.," he would have him arrested, the government's plea memo said.

Authorities said Galeas showed up at the woman's workplace several times.

One time, he would not permit her to get into her car and put handcuffs on her right arm and said he was going to arrest her and "take her in," the plea memo said.

Later, after she changed her cell-phone number, Galeas contacted her on the new number and allegedly told her, "You forgot who I work for."

When the woman told Galeas not to call her at work, the plea memo said, he called her anyway, and left a message for her to call "Special Agent Galco" and told her that Homeland Security was looking for her.

Authorities said that on April 16, 2007, Galeas approached her and showed her some documents titled "Affidavit" on the first page.

The woman saw her ex-boyfriend's name, the name of another individual identified as "M.S." and that person's address in the purported arrest affidavit. (M.S. is the brother of C.S.)

Galeas told the woman that when he signed the affidavit, M.D. would be arrested, the plea memo said.

Prosecutors said if the case had gone to trial, numerous witnesses would have testified against Galeas.

One of the witnesses, the feds said, encountered Galeas at a Wawa in Allentown. Galeas told her that he worked for the FBI and showed her a laminated ID with his photo displayed and some numbers, the plea memo said.

Galeas allegedly told her that it was his FBI badge and that he worked in the FBI's Philadelphia office as a supervisor.

Galeas pleaded guilty in state court in Lehigh County to impersonating a public servant in 2000 and 2001, court records said.