‘U.S. ID Card,’ Hey? That’ll Be $520,000

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (CN) - A state judge fined a company and its owner $520,000 for selling bogus "international driver's licenses" and "U.S. ID cards," the Arkansas Attorney General's Office said.

Virginia-based Beraca Publishing and its owner Miguel Lazarte were ordered to pay $520,000 in civil penalties, $10,165 for attorneys' fees and costs, and to stop advertising and selling their stuff in Arkansas.

The state sued them in November 2010 for violating the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Prosecutors said the cards look official, but cannot be used as legal identification.

Washington County Circuit Judge Kim Smith granted the state's motion for summary judgment on Friday.

Prosecutors said Beraca advertised the cards on the Internet and in publications aimed at Latinos, falsely claiming that the cards were valid in all 50 states.

He sold the "international driver's license" for $100 and the "U.S. ID card" was for $40.

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