Rohnert Park man suspected of fake ID operation
Published: Friday, June 19, 2009 at 12:58 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, June 19, 2009 at 12:58 p.m.
A Rohnert Park man is accused of producing fake identification cards that were sold statewide and may have been used to supply alcohol for a party where a 16-year-old died, police said Friday.
Robert Martin Scott, 22, was arrested Thursday by Orinda police who were investigating the death of Miramonte High School sophomore Joseph Loudon, Sgt. Andre Charles said.
The investigation led to Scott’s apartment, where police found about 80 fraudulent California driver’s licenses and material used to create the IDs, which sold for $160 and $300, Charles said.
The high-quality forgeries were promoted by word of mouth and the Internet and were mailed to customers everywhere, Charles said.
“He was supplying IDs to people all over the state,” Charles said. “It was a pretty widespread operation.”
Scott was booked into the Contra Costa County jail on suspicion of felony forgery and identity theft. He was released Thursday on $60,000 bail. A court date has not been set.
The arrest at the apartment on Enterprise Drive in Rohnert Park came about a month into the investigation of the death at a May 23 party where a group of minors were drinking beer and liquor.
The exact cause of death has not been determined, but police were awaiting the results of a toxicology test that could point to alcohol poisoning.
Police believe the alcohol was purchased with a fake ID made by Scott, Charles said.
Few details were available about the man, but he was believed to reside in an apartment with another person and may have grown up in Marin County, Charles said. Police searched the residence Thursday, seizing a computer and the IDs, Charles said.
The California driver’s licenses came in two types, Charles said.
For $160, Scott sold a regular driver’s license that could pass a visual inspection but lacked a black light security feature, Charles said. IDs with the feature were $300, Charles said.
They likely were produced with over-the-counter software such as Photoshop, he said.
“The quality was pretty darn good,” Charles said. “With the naked eye, you or I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.”
Police did not know how long the phony IDs were being made. They would not say if cash was found in the apartment.
Scott’s roommate was not a suspect, Charles said.
Called in on the case were investigators from the Department of Motor Vehicles, the U.S. Postal Service and the state Alcohol Beverage Control Department, Charles said.
Local law enforcement officials said the use of fake IDs, especially among teens, has been a concern with the rise of sophisticated computer software.
Capt. Matt McCaffrey of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department said agencies have responded by adding authenticating features to documents and training retailers to spot fakes. But forgers have countered some of the efforts, gaining access to bank accounts, employment and alcohol, he said.
“I’m guessing there will be a day when we have state IDs with computer chips in them,” he said. “But someone somewhere with technological savvy will crack that nut, too.”
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