There’s one thing we can all agree on – the millenials know how to use the internet.
And as the best criminal lawyers at UConn, Quinnipiac and Yale know all too well, these millenials know how to scour the internet to find some very authentic Fake IDs and driver’s licenses.
The problem is that neither these Connecticut college kids—nor their parents who turned a blind eye to their kids carrying around Fake IDs in Connecticut—have any idea that merely possessing a Fake ID in your wallet is considered a felony Forgery Second Degree arrest per CGS 53a-139 at UConn, Yale, Quinnipiac or in any other Connecticut city or town.
A majority of Fake IDs are in the possession of Connecticut college and university students who are trying to get into campus and off-campus bars and clubs. Rarely do the best UConn and Quinnipiac criminal lawyers see students selling Fake IDs. That’s an extremely serious crime. Usually, Connecticut college kids just buy them online.
But rather than simply confiscating the Fake IDs, issuing the students a formal warning, or making it a teaching moment at the school discipline level, police at Yale, UConn, and Quinnipiac go overboard and are hauling these students into the police station and criminal court, formally arresting them for Fake ID Possession / Forgery Second Degree charges under CGS 53a-189.
Not only is this charge a felony in Connecticut, but the arrest is often published online and will come up on every employment background check while the charges are pending, especially during a critical time in the student’s life when they are applying for competitive corporate internships or spots in selective grad school programs.
Yes. Especially during the time when the Fake ID / Forgery Second or Third Degree charges are pending in Connecticut Superior Court.
What’s worse is that even if your top UConn, Stamford or Greenwich Connecticut criminal lawyer attorney is able to get your Fake ID / Forgery arrest dismissed, the lingering online press reports of your child’s Fake ID arrest and mug shot will still be online, as it will be permanently published on the online news websites.
That’s why you’ll need to hire an attorney who not only knows how to fight your Connecticut Forgery Second or Third Degree Fake ID arrest, but who also can help you remove your child’s online arrest reports off the internet and off Google searches. (Follow this link for more on our firm’s ground-breaking internet scrubbing practice).
Many of the best Connecticut Fake ID criminal lawyers attorneys not only see Fake ID arrests on Connecticut college campuses, but also at the bars and nightclubs in Norwalk, Stamford and New Haven Connecticut.
Don’t kid yourselves—bouncers are interested in the security and law enforcement industry and work very closely with the police officers who patrol the local bar scenes. The police protect these bouncers from dangerous situations (as they should). So it’s not a stretch at all for a bouncer to alert the police if they spot your Fake ID, especially if you’re giving the bouncer major attitude or a hard time.
What’s even more surprising to the millenials is that you can get arrested for merely possessing a Fake ID, even if you never showed it to anyone at the bar, or never showed it to a bouncer or police officer.
Police do not usually have the right to search your wallet without your consent or a search warrant, especially if you’re not under arrest. So understand that you do NOT have to give them your consent to search your wallet or purse. It’s hard for a teenager to say no to an intimidating police officer, but it’s critical that your child (who’s now an adult) understands and exercises their legal rights.
If you’re unlucky enough to get arrested in Connecticut for a Fake ID Possession charge (called Forgery Second or Third Degree—click here for an in-depth discussion of these charges and available defense strategies), then you and your top Connecticut criminal defense attorney need to get the case dismissed as quickly as possible so you can move forward with your college and professional career track, with as little disruption as possible.
So if you or your child has been arrested in Connecticut for possessing a Fake ID—regardless of whether it’s a Forgery Second or Third Degree charge—be sure to contact one of the Connecticut Fake ID criminal lawyers / attorneys at Mark Sherman Law today.
Getting the case dismissed is just half the battle—keeping your child’s record completely clean for job applications and background checks is just as critical. So check out our online reviews from past Connecticut Fake ID clients and their families, and then call us today. Our lawyers are standing by 24/7 to take your call at (203) 358-4700.
