Fired because he allegedly lied about being a police officer, Thomas R. Leicht Jr., the former Allegheny County Jail internal affairs chief, insisted he was a cop — and was issued a deputy sheriff’s badge to prove it. Leicht, 48, was dismissed on Sept. 3 in the wake of claims raised after a federal hearing concerning Christine Korbe, the woman convicted of killing FBI special agent Sam Hicks during a drug raid on her Indiana Township home. The county contends that Leicht, a former jail captain, fibbed in testimony at a June 7 hearing in that case about being a police officer certified under Pennsylvania’s Act 120. Leicht filed an administrative appeal with the county’s Personnel Board, which upheld his dismissal Feb. 28. In a Thursday filing with Common Pleas Court appealing his termination, Leicht claimed officials “arbitrarily and capriciously” disregarded that he had long been an instructor of police officers and was “sworn in as a deputy sheriff” and “issued a badge and exercised police powers throughout his career” at the jail. Leicht’s Bethel Park attorney, Ronald P. Koerner, didn’t return telephone calls on Friday seeking comment. County officials said that they won’t discuss pending litigation. Sheriff William P. Mullen said that Leicht was neither one of his 157 sworn deputies — certified officers who undergo lengthy training and background checks — nor a reserve deputy. In 2006, Mullen replaced Sheriff Pete DeFazio. During a 36-year career before being convicted along with three top aides for public corruption, DeFazio issued hundreds of honorary deputy sheriff’s badges to celebrities, political bigwigs and other citizens, including Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and County Republican Committee chairman Jim Roddey. In 2008, Mullen asked for their return, and Leicht was one of those who surrendered the shield. “Tom Leicht was sent a letter and he returned a badge,” said Mullen. “But it’s an honorary and special badge. It’s not anything else.” Email Newsletters TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.