HOBOKEN AND BEYOND — Hoboken man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal fraud charge arising from his creation of computerized templates to be used in the production of false identification documents, including federal law enforcement credentials, and selling them over the Internet, United States Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.
Michael J. Sternquist, a/k/a “John Torchwood,” 26, of Hoboken, New Jersey, entered a guilty plea to one count of fraud in connection with identification documents before United States District Judge Freda L. Wolfson in Trenton federal court. Judge Wolfson ordered the defendant remanded until sentencing, scheduled for Oct. 8, 2010.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
Sternquist admitted that between September 2009 and February 12, 2010, he created computerized templates for false identification documents, including various state driver’s licenses and federal law enforcement credentials, and sold them over the Internet.
Sternquist also provided purchasers with instructions on how to print the identification documents, including the authentication features, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Taking into consideration a July 2007 identification document fraud conviction in the Southern District of Ohio, the charge to which Sternquist pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, officials said.
Sternquist admitted to violating the terms of his supervised release following his release from custody on the prior conviction, officials said. For that violation, Sternquist faces up to an additional two years in prison.