Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Four people accused of operating a large-scale fake ID operation that netted investigators $4.7 million in bitcoin have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Ohio.
The four from the Toledo area are facing federal charges announced Thursday that include making false identification documents and possessing document-making equipment.
The group was arrested in early February after investigators seized electronic bitcoin wallets, computers, printers and gold and silver bars inside a Toledo home.
Ohio authorities began investigating in 2015 after receiving several fake ID cards from a bar in Springfield. A college student told investigators his friends bought IDs from Reddit.
Documents say buyers had to follow specific instructions to hide the transactions and use bitcoins, digital money that isn't tied to a bank or government.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
