An Indiana man has been sentenced to three years of probation for making fake IDs after being caught working for a website that publicly declared: “Your #1 Trusted Source for Fake IDs”.
James Watt, 26, pleaded guilty to unlawful production of document or authentication feature and money laundering, after the US attorney’s office of the southern district of Indiana accused him of manufacturing and mailing 30,000 fake driver’s licenses and other forms of false identification.
According to court documents, Watt worked for a website between 2019 and 2023 that allowed customers to purchase fake driver’s licenses, paid for mostly using bitcoin.
Customers would upload photos of themselves and an address. Watt would then create the IDs and mail them via USPS collection boxes throughout Indianapolis, usually late at night to avoid detection.
Authorities said he manufactured more than 30,000 fake driver’s licenses and other forms of false identification, and was paid more than 14 bitcoin, which as of 16 January was valued at more than $1.3m.
Most of the fake IDs were purchased by underage college students, though some were also purchased by adults “far older than 21”, officials said, suggesting “their use for another nefarious purpose”.
Identification is needed for any number of reasons, including to board a plane, buy cough medicine, rent a car, open a bank account, apply for government assistance, pick up a prescription, visit a casino and purchase a firearm, officials said.
John Childress, the acting US attorney for the southern district of Indiana, said: “Watt nearly became a millionaire simply through the manufacturing and mailing of thousands of fake IDs, essentially running a one-man BMV [Bureau of Motor Vehicles].
“While Watt was not the operator of the website, he had a far more critical role, utilizing equipment and skill to manufacture quality fake identifications and brazenly violate the law thousands of times over.”
