Two Men Indicted for Producing Fake IDs

(Phoenix, Ariz. – August 19, 2005)  Attorney General Terry Goddard and Department of Liquor Director Leesa Berens Morrison today announced the indictment of Grant William Coxon and Lloyd R. Berry for Illegally Conducting an Enterprise and Forgery.

Coxon, 21, of Phoenix, and Berry, 21, of Tucson, contacted people who wanted fake IDs.  The two took personal information and pictures and produced false identification in return for cash.  Working undercover, investigators obtained multiple fake Washington State driver’s licenses from Coxon that they told him would be used for smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States.  Coxon was also indicted on nine counts of Forgery and one count Criminal Possession of a Forgery Device. 

A joint investigation involving the Department of Liquor Licensing and Control, University of Arizona Police, Pima County Sheriff’s Office, the Arizona Department of Revenue and the Attorney General’s Office produced evidence indicating Coxon and Berry were providing false identifications for hundreds of dollars.   A search warrant at Coxon’s Tucson residence revealed numerous false identifications and sophisticated computer equipment that included advanced software programs, hardware and printers that were seized.  

“The defendants created IDs for anyone who had cash,” Goddard said. “They weren’t just catering to underage college students.  This investigation stopped a fake ID pipeline that could have served human smugglers and even potential terrorists.”

“This case demonstrates how easy it is for an illegal immigrant to purchase a new identity or an underage college person to buy a fake ID,” Berens Morrison said.  “We will continue to use any means available to find these manufacturers and sellers of fake IDs and seek strong criminal penalties.”

If convicted of all charges, Coxon faces a maximum of 14 years in prison; Berry faces a maximum of seven years. Both men will be arraigned in Pima County Superior Court on August 30.   Assistant Attorney General Todd Lawson is prosecuting this case.