A Ukrainian man pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to running a website called “OnlyFake” that helped users create digital fake IDs.
Yurii Nazarenko, 27, who also goes by Yuriy Nazarenko, ran the website from 2021 into 2024. Through the website, Nazarenko brought in $1.2 million in revenue paid in cryptocurrency, which he now must forfeit, the Justice Department said.
The website allowed people to put in photos and information to create fakes, including driver’s licenses for all 50 states, Social Security cards, U.S. passports and passport cards, as well as foreign identification documents including passports for 56 other countries, prosecutors said.
The main purpose of the digital fake IDs for users, the Justice Department said, was to use them for “Know Your Customer” verification for banks and cryptocurrency exchanges that allow people to scan their real documents or upload photographs of them.
By using the digital fake IDs, customers could conceal their identities and launder money via the banks and exchanges.
Nazarenko offered bulk specials, in which customers would receive as many as 1,000 digital fake IDs at once for a discount. During the website’s existence, OnlyFake was used to create at least 10,000 digital fake IDs, federal prosecutors said.
Nazarenko was extradited to the U.S. from Romania in 2025 to be tried on one count of conspiring to commit fraud in connection with identification documents, authentication features and information.
The sentencing for Nazarenko is scheduled for June 26. In addition to the forfeiture of $1.2 million, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
