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Question: What is the penalty for using a fake ID to get into a bar to see a concert but not buy alcohol?

Answer: Using a fake ID is a pretty severe crime, and whether you are doing so to get into a concert, buy alcohol, or otherwise misrepresent your age or identity, doesn't really matter. Arizona law punishes the conduct of misrepresenting your identity in two areas: first is the use of the fake identification to do something and second is the tampering or falsification of the actual identification card.

You could be prosecuted for a number of different crimes under Arizona law using the fake identification, including Criminal Impersonation (ARS 13-2006) and Forgery (ARS 13-2002). Both of these crimes punish people for assuming a false identity or pretending to be someone (or some age) that they are not in order to get something from the person that they are deceiving.

If you have also actually tampered with the identification yourself, you could be charged with another crime like Tampering with a Public Record (ARS 13-2407). This punishes the act of altering or changing an officially issued piece of documentation like a driver's license.

All of these crimes are felonies in Arizona. Felonies are crimes that are punished by time spent in a state prison, usually in excess of one year. Criminal Impersonation and Tampering with a Public Record are both Class 6 Felonies, which are punished by 6 months to 1 1/2 years in jail. Forgery is a much more serious crime, a Class 4 Felony, and is punished by 1 1/2 to 3 years in jail.

Needless to say, there is no reason to take such a risk just to see a band. Go buy their latest CD instead.

Comments
11 thru 15 of 20 comments
On 10/18/02
Robert from MI said:
I was cuaght trying to buy alcohol wih my real ID not a fake, the women at the desk said it was a fake but it wasnt, yet I have to talk to the cops tommorow, about it and this happend like two weeks ago. if anyone has any ID what will happen plz leave a comment here. it might also help if i told you that my real id is that im 18yrs old.
On 09/23/02
Kevin from AZ said:
I was caught w/a fake id by the cops, they took it and made me leave a message for my parents(which i promptly erased). They gave me a week to come up w/the name and adress of who made it, and nothing happened to either of us.
On 09/05/02
Brian from CA said:
I was caught with a Fake ID trying to buy alcohol. Now i dont have a drivers licence until next year until i have to petition for the DMV to return it. I was lucky enough that the court cut me a deal, reducing the crime to an infraction. On most applications for the rest of your life there is a place that asks "were you ever convicted of a misdemeanor or a felony?" Do you really want to answer that as a "Yes"? Its definitly not worth it.
On 08/21/02
Aaron from AZ said:
I have a friend that got cought breaking into a school at night. They told him it was a class 4 feloney and that he was to see a judge later that month. What is the punishment for a class 4 feloney for minors?
On 07/24/02
Brian from NY said:
My friend was caught with his fake, and they just take it away, i dont think cops care about fake ids
11 thru 15 of 20 comments


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