It is not uncommon for young adults in Ocean County and Monmouth County, New Jersey to carry a “fake ID”. Police who come into contact with individuals carrying or using fake ID’s, often through the State’s Cops in Shops initiative, frequently charge those individuals with a crime. Possession of false identification can lead to a serious criminal charge. If you have been criminally charged because you possessed false identification, you need the help of an experienced criminal defense lawyer with particular experience defending clients against the charge of tampering with public records or information.
Carmine R. Villani, Esq. is a partner in the law firm of Villani & DeLuca, P.C., which is headquartered in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. Mr. Villani is an experienced NJ criminal defense attorney who has been defending clients charged with criminal offenses in Ocean County and Monmouth County for more than 20 years.
If you are caught buying, selling or using a fake ID to do something like purchase alcohol or gain entrance to one of New Jersey’s bars, the consequences are harsh. A conviction under one of New Jersey’s false identification statutes can result in up to 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine or as much as 3 to 5 years in prison and up to a $15,000 fine. The punishment depends on the circumstances of the case and what level of offense the defendant is charged with. As explained below, a fake ID conviction in New Jersey can also lead to the suspension of your driver’s license.
Partly because of the heightened sensitivity to the use of false identification in an age of terrorism, possession of false identification is taken very seriously by law enforcement. While each case has its own unique facts, a criminal charge in connection with the possession of false identification could result is the loss of your driver’s license and/or possible jail time.
Depending on the specific facts of your case, a charge of tampering with public records or information can be a third or fourth degree crime under N.J.S.A. 2C:21-2.1, or a disorderly person offense, as provided under N.J.S.A. 2C:28-7. Typically, the offense charged will be in the third degree in cases where you are alleged to have intended to defraud or injure another person in connection with tampering with public records or information.
If your driving privileges are taken away because you are convicted of a fake ID charge, the court will set the term for which you will not be able to drive, a term which must be no less than six months and which may not exceed two years in duration. If you are younger than 17 years of age on the day of sentencing, those same time periods of license suspension apply, but will not begin to run until the day after you turn 17 years of age.
If you have been charged with fake ID possession or a drinking-related offense while under the age of 21 in New Jersey, you should call our criminal defense law firm for a free consultation at 732-965-3350. Villani & DeLuca, P.C. represents underage clients throughout Ocean County and Monmouth County charged with all kinds of criminal offenses, including the use or possession of a fake ID, and related charges of underage alcohol possession, underage DWI or underage drinking in New Jersey.
