James Watt, 26, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to three years of probation after pleading guilty to unlawful production of document or authentication feature and money laundering.
According to court documents, between March 13, 2019, and February 16, 2023, Watt worked for a public website that allowed customers to purchase fake driver’s licenses, paid for mostly by Bitcoin. The website’s tag line boasted “Your #1 Trusted Source for Fake IDs.”
Over the course of four years, Watt manufactured more than 30,000 fraudulent driver’s licenses and other forms of false identification. Customers would upload photos of themselves and an address to which to send the new I.D. Watt then mailed the false identifications via U.S. Postal Service collection boxes throughout Indianapolis, usually late at night to avoid detection.
In exchange for this work, Watt was paid more than 14 Bitcoin. As of January 16, 2025, 14 bitcoin was worth more than $1.3 million.
Although many of the fake IDs were purchased by underage college students, many IDs were purchased by adults far older than 21, implying their use for another nefarious purpose. Identification is needed 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. Through Watt’s help, his customers were able to get fake identifications for all these purposes.
“Watt nearly became a millionaire simply through the manufacturing and mailing of thousands of fake IDs, essentially running a one-man BMV,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
The U.S. Postal Investigation Service and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon.
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