Two University of Michigan students, one Michigan State University student nabbed in federal probe into fake IDs
Two University of Michigan students and a Michigan State University student have been arrested in connection with a federal probe into fake IDs, court documents say.
The three were arrested after investigators say one of them signed for a package delivered to an Ann Arbor apartment Wednesday that contained 48 "fraudulent identification cards," a federal criminal complaint says.
Charged with illegally possessing or transferring false identification documents are: 20-year-old Barak D. Leibovitz, 18-year-old Zachary J. Firestone, both of West Bloomfield, and 19-year-old Samuel D. Hamburger of Royal Oak.
Hamburger and Leibovitz attend U-M, while Firestone attends Michigan State, according to online university directories.
The three made their first appearance this afternoon in federal court in Detroit and have been released on unsecured bonds, said Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents declined to discuss details of the case, citing an ongoing investigation.
According to the complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers in Memphis, Tenn., seized a FedEx package on Saturday that was sent from Toronto and destined for Ann Arbor. The package was turned over to ICE agents in Detroit, then delivered Wednesday to an apartment in the 400 block of East Washington Street in Ann Arbor, the complaint says.
Hamburger signed for it, the complaint says, admitting he knew it contained at least one fake ID. Hamburger also told investigators Leibovitz informed him he “was expecting a package,” according to the complaint.
Leibovitz told agents 27 of the cards were his, the complaint alleges, and the rest belonged to Firestone, who was on his way from Michigan State to pick them up.
Firestone gave investigators written statements about his “involvement with the sale" of fake IDs, telling investigators Leibovitz introduced him to the activity, the complaint says.
The three are scheduled to return to court April 12.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
Snarf Oscar Boondoggle
Sat, Feb 27, 2010 : 1:39 a.m.
yeh, what ed said. 9/11 changed everything. ain't no fun anymore. fake id now has ominous (foreshadowing evil) overtones. (other thoughts remain untyped.)
Kvetchmeister
Fri, Feb 26, 2010 : 2:36 p.m.
As Edward Vielmetti's analysis shows, the reaction of many people--including law enforcement--very much would be different if these adults (they are over 18... not "kids") were of Arab descent. My point was that this "boys will be boys" attitude only applies to supposedly Good American Kids. If they were of Arab descent the reaction would have been much different; thankfully in this case the implicit discrimination was limited to simpleton commenters on Annarbor.com, not the police. I guess some "simpletons" can't detect irony.
Atticus F.
Fri, Feb 26, 2010 : 1:48 p.m.
Upon looking into the law a little closer, it is illegal in michigan to posses a fake ID, even for 'novelty purposes'. but federally it is not a crime unless the ID is used to decieve.
Atticus F.
Fri, Feb 26, 2010 : 1:43 p.m.
Thanks Ed. I've also been told that it's perfectly legal to posses a fake ID for novelty purposes... but once you use it to decieve, you have commited a crime.
Atticus F.
Fri, Feb 26, 2010 : 1:25 p.m.
Kids have been making fake ID's since I was in high school. But now a days all of these simpletons are so terrified of terrorist, that they cant let a kid be a kid without wanting to send them to federal prison. Newsflash: you are 300,000x more likely to die from an auto accident, than to die from a terrorist attack in this country...So please stop living your life in fear and cowardice, because when you live your life in fear, you are doing exactly what the terrorist want.
Kvetchmeister
Fri, Feb 26, 2010 : 11:39 a.m.
I'm sure those claiming this isn't a serious issue and it has no security implications would be singing a very different tune if the name of the student was Lahab instead of Leibowitz.
mw
Fri, Feb 26, 2010 : 10:07 a.m.
"They need to be put in federal prison as this is a serious issue. They could help terrorists enter and move around freely. Maybe another 911? Drinking is not there only intent. They need to be made examples." Yeah, I'm sure a couple of UM students from West Bloomfield were probably providing fake IDs to both fellow students and also to terrorists preparing for another 9/11. So lets lock 'em up and throw away the key to serve as examples. Sheesh. The government has made criminals out of college students in the same way it made criminals of most American adults during prohibition (who, as we know, continued to drink even though it was illegal).
ChrisW
Fri, Feb 26, 2010 : 10:01 a.m.
Clearly they're terrorists. Send 'em to Gitmo! Kids are so lazy these days -- when I was in high school we had to make our fake ids ourselves, we didn't outsource them to Canada.
josemartin
Fri, Feb 26, 2010 : 8:49 a.m.
There are between 10 and 20 million illegal aliens in the United States. Nearly all of whom use fake drivers licenses and fake social security cards. You can buy them from vendors on street corners in broad daylight.
krc
Fri, Feb 26, 2010 : 7:52 a.m.
One hopes they will be expelled for this trick. And I'm curious as to whether they were privately or publicly funded?
Homergrible
Fri, Feb 26, 2010 : 3:15 a.m.
They need to be put in federal prison as this is a serious issue. They could help terrorists enter and move around freely. Maybe another 911? Drinking is not there only intent. They need to be made examples.
Homergrible
Fri, Feb 26, 2010 : 3:13 a.m.
They need to be put in federal prison as this is a serious issue. They could help terrorists enter and move around freely. Maybe another 911? Drinking is not there only intent. They need to be made examples.
Kim Scott
Fri, Feb 26, 2010 : 1:18 a.m.
Back in the day (mid-70's) the drinking age was 18 and you just showed your college ID to get in the bars.
Jed I Knight
Thu, Feb 25, 2010 : 10:20 p.m.
Back in the day all you needed was: 1) Chalk 2) Scotch Tape 3) a number 2 pencil. About 15 minutes to chalk over your year of birth, pencil over numbers on the license that would make you of age, rub the tape over the pencil to lift it up and then tape it over the chalked out numbers. Now days, with the holograms and horizontal layouts its not possible and has to be outsourced. The good news is hopefully they can swim up stream to the source on this one....
phdeez
Thu, Feb 25, 2010 : 9:45 p.m.
when i arrived here over five years ago, i was shocked by how many undergrads had fake IDs. there is an entire industry on campus with the production and purchase of fakes. i always wondered when the feds would show up, especially with the patriot act and all.
ScottyBoy
Thu, Feb 25, 2010 : 8:05 p.m.
The brightest and the best! Duh!