__________________________________________Ask the DA

       

I have a son who just completed his first year of college and a daughter who just graduated from high school who will be going away to college in the fall.  I would like to know the consequences for teenagers who are found in possession of fake IDs.

Possession of a fake ID is a serious violation of the law which depending upon the circumstances may even be chargeable as a felony offense.  Any teenager who is 16 years old or older and is found to be in possession of one of these forged documents (fake IDs) can be arrested, brought to a police precinct and fingerprinted.  He or she can expect to remain in police custody, and may even be held overnight in a detention cell before being brought before a Criminal Court judge for arraignment.

Teenagers often use fake IDs to participate in activities that the law prohibits until their twenty-first birthday.  Fake IDs are often used by underage teenagers to purchase alcohol, enter nightclubs and order alcoholic beverages in restaurants.  Such arrests are more common in Manhattan since many clubs and restaurants are located in New York county, and suburban and rural college towns where many local parents send their children to study.

Parents and their children should know that any criminal arrest and conviction can affect the child’s life, particularly if the child wishes to pursue a career in law enforcement or law.  I urge all parents to sit down with their underage children to discuss the potentially serious consequences of possessing and using fake IDs.  I also encourage schools to advise students about the risks of possessing and using these forged documents.  My office stands ready to send assistant district attorneys to schools in Brooklyn to discuss this topic with students and faculty alike.

Whether a conviction for possessing a fake ID will become part of an underage child’s “permanent record” depends upon a number of factors.  Although judges are given discretion to seal the records of some offenders whose infractions were committed before the age of 19, there is no guarantee that they will do so.  Short of a judicial sealing, a conviction for a crime will become part of the teenager’s permanent criminal history.

            To have your questions answered in future columns send your inquiries to asktheda@brooklynda.org.

| HOME