Creator Of “OnlyFake” Charged And Pleads Guilty To Selling More Than 10,000 Digital Fake Identification Documents

 

Among First Ever Charges for Digital Fake Identification Documents

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced today that Ukrainian national YURII NAZARENKO, a/k/a “Yuriy Nazarenko,” a/k/a “Uriel Septimberus,” a/k/a “Tor Ford,” a/k/a “John Wick,” has been charged and pled guilty for his role in operating the website “OnlyFake,” which sold fake photos of identification documents such as passports and driver’s licenses (“Digital Fake IDs”).  NAZARENKO pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with identification documents, authentication features, and information before U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett. 

“We rely on government issued IDs to combat terrorism, hijackings, fraud, money laundering, and a host of other crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “OnlyFake’s manufacture of fraudulent IDs and other documents puts us all at risk and must be stopped.” 

“Yurii Nazarenko developed a website to produce more than 10,000 fake identification documents, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars from these illicit sales.  This platform offered its clients a myriad of criminal opportunities, including bypassing traditional regulations to launder money.  The FBI will not tolerate any individual who exploits technology to allow others to conceal their true identity for potentially nefarious purposes,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr.

According to the charging documents and statements made in public filings and public court proceedings:

OnlyFake offered its customers the ability to generate various types of Digital Fake IDs.  For example, OnlyFake allowed its customers to generate fake U.S. identification documents, including digital versions of driver’s licenses for each of the fifty states, United States passports, United States passport cards, and Social Security cards.  OnlyFake also offered customers the ability to generate fake digital versions of identification documents of various other countries, including passports for approximately 56 countries other than the United States.

OnlyFake customers could customize the type of Digital Fake ID they wanted, including whether the Digital Fake ID should appear to be a scan of a real identification document, or appear to be a photograph of a real identification document taken on a surface like a table.  Photos of the menu to generate a Digital Fake ID and of a fake United States passport generated through OnlyFake are below:

Customers paid OnlyFake for Digital Fake IDs in cryptocurrency.  OnlyFake offered discounts for bulk purchases of Digital Fake IDs and offered packages of as many as 1,000 Digital Fake IDs at once. NAZARENKO operated and controlled OnlyFake.  From approximately 2021, up to and including 2024, OnlyFake received at least approximately hundreds of thousands of dollars from customers purchasing Digital Fake IDs, and OnlyFake was used to generate at least approximately 10,000 Digital Fake IDs.

Banks and cryptocurrency exchanges generally require individuals seeking to open accounts to provide some type of government-issued identification document to prove their real identity (called Know Your Customer, or “KYC” programs) in order to prevent money laundering.  Many of those financial institutions allow individuals to submit scans or photographs of their government-issued identification documents to establish their identity.  The Digital Fake IDs sold by OnlyFake allowed individuals to circumvent KYC programs and to launder money by concealing their real identities.

NAZARENKO, 27, of Ukraine, pled guilty to one count of conspiring to commit fraud in connection with identification documents, authentication features, and information, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.  NAZARENKO also agreed to forfeit $1,200,000, representing the proceeds of OnlyFake’s activity.

The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.  NAZARENKO is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Garnett on June 26, 2026.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI.  He also thanked Romanian authorities and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for their assistance in securing Nazarenko's September 2025 extradition from Romania. 

The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit.