Waste of the Day: ICE Vendor’s Fake Employee
Topline: One might expect that the companies developing advanced technology for Immigration and Customs Enforcement are led by gifted programmers with impressive resumés. But one firm with a $12 million no-bid contract from ICE seems to have no one leading it.
Until recently, the company Edge Ops’ website claimed their lead programmer was Diya Das. It used a stock image with the description “Indian lady relax on sofa using tablet look at camera” as her supposed bio picture.
Das has no listed biographical information, and there is no proof she is even a real person.
Key facts: ICE hired Edge Ops in April to develop an AI software that can predict the movements of illegal immigrants. Investigative journalists at The Lever found more than a few question marks.
The company has no federal contracting experience, and incorporation documents show it was founded in 2014 “to hold and to house a sailboat.” It registered as a federal vendor on Nov. 6, 2024, the day after President Donald Trump was re-elected.
Das’ headshot was obviously fake. It contained a huge watermark in the middle of the photo.
The Edge Ops website also claimed that its technology was used for AI-powered wildfire prevention by the Germany company Dryad Networks. That was a lie, according to Dryad Networks’ CEO, who told The Lever “I have no clue” what Edge Ops is.
The website also has testimonials from seemingly fake customers. Sarah Mitchell of “InnovativeTech Solutions” was featured on the homepage saying, “Working with EdgeOps has been a game changer for our business,” but The Lever found no evidence that Mitchell actually exists.
Edge Ops did not answer any of The Lever’s questions, but it did overhaul its website. Das is no longer listed as an employee, and all mentions of Dryad Networks are gone. Sarah Mitchell’s name is now simply “Sarah,” and she now works at “Operational Mission Support.”
Edge Ops is owned by Jennifer Piccerillo, a former employee of the weapons manufacturer Raytheon, and her husband Robert “Pic” Piccerillo, a former Air Force intelligence officer. Both their signatures appear on the company’s Articles of Organization, obtained by The Lever.
Search all federal, state and local salaries and vendor spending with the world’s largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com.
Background: Homeland Security’s no-bid contract spending has faced increased scrutiny after former Secretary Kristi Noem allegedly enriched her friends through advertising contracts.
Homeland Security has spent $5 billion on no-bid contracts in fiscal year 2026 so far, already much more than any previous year.
Washington spent a record $262.6 billion on no-bid contracts in fiscal year 2025 across all agencies.
Summary: ICE has already arguably lost the public relations battle over the past year, and sending money to dubious vendors will only make it worse.
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