Pasco pair charged with running fake ID operation

NEW PORT RICHEY (FOX 13) - Deputies on Monday announced the arrest of two Pasco County residents who they say were running an international fake ID ring.

Angelica Bianco and Michael Morales, both 23, face racketeering charges after a months-long investigation.

Deputies say the pair was arrested in 2015 for making fake IDs, but given probation and pre-trial intervention. Michigan authorities alerted Pasco deputies that Bianco and Morales were connected to fake driver's licenses found there, which lead to their arrest.

Investigators say Bianco and Morales were selling social security cards and driver's licenses to at least 13 states, Mexico, and Canada. They even were in touch with people in the Middle East about selling fake documents.

Sheriff Chris Nocco says the couple even seemed to want to be found out, advertising their services on YouTube, Instagram and Kik.

County tax collector Mike Fasano says business owners should use this bust as a lesson on what to look for when presented with questionable identification.

"You'll see how smooth [a real license] is around the edges. You'll also know the fake ones when you bend them they'll start to peel away," said Fasano.

"Selling driver's licenses like they're candy on a street corner. It's scary to know that was happening," he added.