INDIANAPOLIS— James Watt, 26, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to three years of probation after pleading guilty to unlawful production of a 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, mostly paid for with Bitcoin. The website’s tagline boasted, “Your #1 Trusted Source for Fake IDs.”
Watt manufactured over 30,000 fraudulent driver’s licenses and other forms of false identification for four years. Customers would upload photos of themselves and an address to which to send the new I.D. To avoid detection, he then mailed the false identifications via U.S. Postal Service collection boxes throughout Indianapolis, usually late at night.
He was paid over 14 Bitcoin, valued at $1.3 million, for his work.
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.
“Watt nearly became a millionaire simply by manufacturing and mailing 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. U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon imposed the sentence.
