Four Toledo-area residents are staring down federal charges for allegedly running a high-volume fake ID mill that flooded Ohio, Michigan, and Utah with counterfeit driver’s licenses and state IDs. Mark Alex Simon, 34; Sarah Alberts, 34, of Perrysburg; Aaron Kuns, 33; and Benjamin Stalets, 28—all from Toledo—were indicted on charges of producing and transferring false identification documents, possession of document-making implements, and trafficking authentication features.
The operation, active between June 2013 and February 2018, didn’t just churn out flimsy forgeries. These weren’t corner-store knockoffs. The indictment alleges the defendants produced near-replica IDs complete with holograms, barcodes, and security features pulled straight from real state-issued cards. Their customers? Underage drinkers, fugitives, and others looking to vanish—or pretend to be someone they weren’t.
Federal prosecutors aren’t just after prison time—they’re coming for the haul. Authorities are moving to forfeit more than 500 Bitcoin, valued at approximately $5.1 million, alongside $8,603 in cash and gold and silver coins and bars worth an estimated $265,299. All were seized during the investigation, marking one of the largest cryptocurrency forfeitures tied to document fraud in the Northern District of Ohio.
The takedown was a joint effort between the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Investigative Unit, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office spent years tracing digital footprints, physical shipments, and financial records to dismantle the network. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Noah P. Hood and Robert W. Kern are leading the prosecution.
If convicted, each defendant faces years behind bars, though the actual sentence will depend on factors like criminal history, role in the scheme, and court-determined guidelines. While the statutory maximum looms, federal sentencing rarely hits that ceiling. Still, the forfeiture of $5.4 million sends a clear message: profit from crime, lose everything.
An indictment is not a conviction. Simon, Alberts, Kuns, and Stalets are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The government must prove each charge beyond a reasonable doubt. Trial dates have not yet been set.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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