A Ukrainian citizen who fabricated more than 10 fake digital ID cards has been convicted in the United States.

Yuriy Nazarenko, the creator of the OnlyFake service, pleaded guilty to selling over 10 fake digital IDs. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton and FBI New York Field Office Chief James S. Barnacle Jr. announced that Ukrainian citizen Nazarenko, known as Uriel Septimberus, Tor Ford, and John Wick, has been charged. He pleaded guilty and was subsequently deported, according to U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

OnlyFake sold counterfeit images of identification documents, including passports and driver's licenses, known as digital fake IDs. Nazarenko pleaded guilty that same day to a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud related to identification documents, security features, and related information. The case was heard before U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett.

"We rely on government-issued IDs to combat terrorism, hijacking, fraud, money laundering, and a host of other crimes," said Jay Clayton. "The production of counterfeit IDs and other documents through OnlyFake puts us all at risk and must be stopped."

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"Yuri Nazarenko created a website that produced over 10 counterfeit IDs and earned hundreds of thousands of dollars from these illegal sales. This platform provided clients with extensive criminal opportunities, including bypassing existing regulations and laundering money. The FBI will not tolerate anyone using technology to conceal their identity for potentially criminal purposes," emphasized James S. Barnacle Jr.

The OnlyFake service allowed users to create various types of digital fake IDs. Specifically, the site allowed users to generate counterfeit US documents, including digital versions of driver's licenses from all 50 states, US passports, passport cards, and Social Security cards. Users were also offered the opportunity to create digital counterfeits of documents from other countries, including passports from approximately 56 countries other than the US.

Clients could customize the appearance of the fake document: it could look like a scanned ID or a photograph of a real document, perhaps lying on a table. The case file includes images of the document generation interface and an example of a fake US passport created using OnlyFake.

Payment for the fake digital IDs was made in cryptocurrency. The service offered discounts for bulk purchases, as well as packages of up to 1000 documents at a time. Nazarenko managed the website OnlyFake. From 2021 to 2024, the service received at least several hundred thousand dollars from clients and was used to create at least 10 fake digital IDs.

Banks and cryptocurrency exchanges typically require clients opening accounts to provide government-issued documents to verify their identity—as part of "know your customer" (KYC) procedures aimed at preventing money laundering. In many cases, providing scans or photographs of such documents is acceptable. The fake digital IDs sold through OnlyFake allowed users to bypass these procedures and launder money while concealing their true identity.

Nazarenko, a 27-year-old Ukrainian citizen, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud related to identity documents, security devices, and related information. This charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison. Nazarenko also agreed to forfeit $1.2 million—the amount he obtained from OnlyFake. He chose deportation and has already been expelled from the United States.

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Jay Clayton commended the FBI for its professional work. He also thanked the Romanian authorities and the US Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs for their assistance in extraditing Nazarenko from Romania in September 2025.

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