The Farm House, whose Facebook page shows a waterpark-equipped holiday rental, is run by 34-year-old Mohsin Raza, one of two founders of an online fake ID business that prosecutors say helped Russian operatives get a toehold in the United States.
According to a US Treasury statement and an indictment issued this week by federal prosecutors in New Jersey, Raza operated a digital fake ID mill, churning out images of doctored drivers’ licenses, bogus passports and forged utility bills to help rogue clients pass verification checks at US payment companies and tech firms. The six-count indictment charges Raza with making false documents and aggravated identity theft.
Reuters reached Raza in Pakistan at a telephone number provided by the US Treasury’s sanctions list. He confirmed his identity and acknowledged being a digital counterfeiter, saying he used “simple Photoshop” to alter ID cards, bills, and other documents to order.
Raza – who said he’s also dabbled in graphic design, e-commerce and cryptocurrency – denied any wrongdoing, saying he was merely helping people access accounts that they’d been frozen out of.
Among his customers, the New Jersey indictment alleges, was an employee of the Internet Research Agency – an infamous Russian troll…
