It’s a Friday night and Rob’s friends want to go to the bar. Rob tells them that he is not 21 so he won’t be able to get past the bouncer. Rob’s friend has an ID that looks just like Rob. He gives it to Rob and tells him he can use it that night. It’s a real driver’s license, but somebody else’s. Rob decides try it even though he doesn’t plan on drinking that night.
Rob and his friends get to bar, wait in line, and when it is Rob’s turn to hand over his ID, he gives the bouncer his friend’s ID. The bouncer looks at the ID funny, and then bends it to see if it feels different. He then asks him for another form of ID. Rob says he doesn’t have any.
Unfortunately for Rob, that night there are police officers at that bar who are checking for fake IDs. The officer asks to speak with Rob and to inspect the ID. The officer tells Rob that the person in the ID doesn’t look like him. Rob gets nervous and admits it is his friend’s ID. He also tells the officer that he was just trying to get into the bar, but wasn’t planning on drinking since he is under 21. The officer listens to him, but starts to write him a ticket. The ticket is for use or possession of a fake ID. Rob reads the ticket and sees that it is a misdemeanor.
In Michigan, it is against the law to use an ID that is someone else’s. It is also illegal to use a fake ID. When someone is caught in either of those situations, they could be charged in several different ways, most of them being misdemeanor crimes. Ann Arbor has specific laws that apply to using or providing fake IDs to others. These crimes are usually misdemeanors. Many times I am able to resolve the issue by avoiding a criminal conviction, State of Michigan cases have varied results.
If you are charged with this type of crime, there are options, but it will depend on who is charging the crime, what happened, if there are other charges, if this was a first offense, among other things. As an attorney, I will help you understand your options and look for possible defenses. If there are none, you may still qualify for first offender type programs where you can avoid a criminal conviction.
Call me at Hermanowski Law for a free consultation at (734) 887-6079. I will help you understand your options that may include fighting the charge, working out a deal, or even a first offender program like HYTA. Ann Arbor Police issue many fake ID charges, you should do everything you could to avoid a criminal conviction.
Here is the link to look up cases in the 15th District Court: https://www.a2gov.org/departments/15D/online-services/pages/case-search.aspx
Here is the actual law for use of a Fake ID in Ann Arbor. The law is under Ann Arbor City Code 9:84: https://library.municode.com/mi/ann_arbor/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIXPORE_CH109LI_9_84FUUSFAID
