Man charged with making fake Secret Service and Air Marshal credentials

A New Mexico man was arrested for making counterfeit Secret Service and Federal Air Marshal credentials and planning to sell them.

A federal grand jury in Albuquerque, NM, indicted Richard Stack, 70, of Las Cruces, for unlawfully producing false identification documents.

The three-count indictment, filed on Jan. 23 and announced by FBI and U.S Secret Service agents and federal prosecutors on Jan. 24, alleges Stack unlawfully produced fraudulent law enforcement identification credentials that appeared to be issued by and under the authority of the U.S. Government.

Stack is formally charged with unlawfully producing counterfeit Federal Air Marshal identification credentials on Jan. 6, 2012, and counterfeit U.S. Secret Service identification credentials on Jan. 9, 2012, and March 14, 2012.

No arraignment date has been set, said the FBI, but if convicted, he could face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the three charges in the indictment.

“Counterfeit law enforcement credentials can be used by criminals, terrorists, and spies for illegal purposes, including penetrating our nation’s most secure government buildings, airports, and other facilities,” said Carol Lee, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division. “I would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service for their assistance in this investigation. The FBI will continue to work aggressively with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who put our national security and public safety at risk by making fake law enforcement badges and credentials available to those who might seek to abuse them.”

“Richard Stack allegedly manufactured and sold counterfeit law enforcement credentials to an undercover U.S. Secret Service Agent,” said resident agent in Charge Ferretti of the U.S. Secret Service. “These fake credentials could have allowed an unauthorized subject to gain access to federally protected facilities or aircraft and thus erode the public’s trust in law enforcement. We therefore must ensure that individuals like Stack are prosecuted and held accountable for their actions, if convicted.”