In Toledo, Ohio a fake ID ring which is said to have netted over $4.7 millions worth of Bitcoin was busted early February. 4 people have been under investigation and accused with operating a large fake ID operation. All 4 individuals have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Ohio over the weekend and will start seeing their cases in court this month.
The group have been under investigation since 2015 after bars in Springfield reported a larger than normal influx of minors trying to enter with fake IDs. Many of the fake IDs in question appeared to have been issued by the states of Ohio, Michigan, and Utah. College students that spoke with investigators admitted to buying the fake over 21 IDs off of Reddit.
Mark Simon
Aaron Kuns
Sarah Alberts : Images by THE BLADE/KURT STEISS
The individuals behind the ring were arrested in February after investigators seized electronic bitcoin wallets, computers, printers, and gold and silver bars from inside a Toledo home.
Mark Alex Simon (age 34), Sarah Alberts (34), Aaron Kuns (33), and Benjamin Stalets (28) each were indicted on four counts:
Production of false identification documents
Transfer of false identification documents
Possession with intent to transfer false identification documents
Possession of document-making implements and authentication features
Investigators claim Simon was the man in charge and primarily sold fake documents on Reddit, under the alias TedDanzigSR. When accomplice Kuns was questioned about the operation he stated he was originally approached by Alberts about joining the operation.
Simon would receive the orders off Reddit then send photos and information, as well as supplies to Kuns, who would then make and package the IDs. When the IDs were ready, Alberts picked up the IDs and mailed them. It is unsure of Stalets role in the operation but he was charged with planning or aiding in planning, the act of money laundering.
The indictment seeks forfeiture of more than 500 Bitcoins with an estimated value of $5.1 million, approximately $8,600 in cash, as well as gold and silver coins with an estimated value of $265,299.
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