The Weston Hall resident who was arrested Jan. 20 for manufacturing fake IDs pleaded not guilty in court Feb. 6 and requested a jury trial. He will return to court March 19 for a pretrial conference.

University police had originally investigated Arturo Ibrahim Perez-Vera’s dorm room because housing staff smelled marijuana. After searching the room, police arrested the 18-year-old on charges of not only possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia, but also possession of fraudulent identification and manufacturing fraudulent identification.

University police Sgt. Tom Geis, head of the detectives of the University police, said police found two bags of syringes for filling ink cartridges, a safe with a fraudulent Illinois identification card, a plastic bag with numerous blank identification cards, a template and additional fake IDs.

“This is nothing new,” Geis said. “There are probably a couple (of manufacturing ID cases) a year that local police and U of I and Urbana respond to.”

But fake ID manufacturing is not nearly as common as fake ID possession, Champaign police Sgt. Joe Ketchem said. He said students usually don’t manufacture IDs but order them from the Internet.

Ketchem said there are two types of fake IDs: a fraudulent ID, which is a manufactured fake with a person’s rightful name and face on it, and a misused ID, which is someone else’s actual ID.

Thomas Betz, directing attorney at Student Legal Services, said that in the 26 years he has worked with students, he can’t remember a week he didn’t deal with fake ID possession. 

“Between fake IDs and minors in possession, they’re probably the two most common offenses you’re going to have in any college community,” he said. 

Although Betz described the making and distributing of fake IDs as a “fact of life” and something that went on while he was in college, the consequences for owning one are serious.

Possession of a fraudulent ID is a Class 4 felony, which could result in fine up to $25,000 and one to three years in prison. Possession of a misused ID is a Class A misdemeanor, which could result in fines of $500 to $2,500 or 50 hours of community service, up to 364 days in jail, the loss of driving privileges and likely University disciplinary action.

However, Betz said these are the worst-case scenarios. He said offenders usually face a $300 fine and court costs, which could bring the final payment to more than $600.

On the next offense, the punishments become more severe: A repeat offense of possession of a fraudulent ID is a Class 3 felony, punishable with a minimum fine of $500 or 50 hours of community service and often an alcohol abuse prevention program. A repeat offense of possession of a misused ID becomes a Class 4 felony.

“That starts adding up,” Betz said. “It’s a tax on the use of the court system. You get one free bite for a relatively minor offense, but you’re not going to get to eat the entire apple over and over again.”

Ketchem said the likelihood of getting caught with a fake ID has increased over the last few years.

“In 2011, I think there were almost 15 or 16 cases for IDs, and just this last year, there were over 230,” Ketchem said. “We increased our enforcement, and there was a tweak in the ordinance about charging people, and we followed up on a lot of them that were seized at the bar.”  

Ketchem has seen the gamut of fakes in his 17 years on the police force here.

“I’ve worked campus for a lot of years. I know what some of the practices are,” he said. “(For example), the sorority girls will graduate, and one of the things I know is they’ll leave their driver’s license behind, and those get passed on. Same thing with the fraternities.” 

His message for students considering using fake IDs is simple: “Don’t do it.”

With Unofficial approaching, Ketchem said Champaign police officers will be doing a “Walk As One” event Feb. 20 through the heavily partied areas of campustown to distribute information about the consequences associated with underage drinking. 

“The University takes this very seriously,” he said. “If you want to go to a bar, wait until you’re 19.”

Maddie can be reached at [email protected].