INDIANA– James Watt, 26, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to three years of probation after pleading guilty to unlawful production of document or authentication features and money laundering. Watt was involved in a fraudulent operation that produced and distributed fake driver’s licenses through a public website between March 2019 and February 2023.
Watt manufactured over 30,000 fake IDs, which were sold primarily to underage college students but also to adults, suggesting their use for illegal purposes. Customers paid for the IDs with Bitcoin, and Watt mailed the documents via U.S. Postal Service collection boxes in Indianapolis. Throughout the operation, Watt earned more than 14 Bitcoins, valued at over $1.3 million as of January 2025.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Acting U.S. Attorney John E. Childress commended the investigative efforts, stating that Watt played a critical role in the operation, manufacturing high-quality fake IDs and violating the law thousands of times.
U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon imposed Watt’s sentence.
