Virginia Men Who Trafficked in Fake IDs Plead Guilty Following HSI Washington, D.C. Investigation

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — An investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. led to two men pleading guilty to importing, manufacturing and trafficking fraudulent identity documents.

Arya Ebrahimi, 28, of Gainesville, and Tarik Sayed Metwally, 31, of Fairfax, entered their guilty pleas June 26 at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

“Through their actions, Arya Ebrahimi and Tarik Sayed Metwally enabled the illegal activities of countless other criminals,” said HSI Washington, D.C. Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon. “Ebrahimi and Metwally will pay their debt to society, but federal, state and local authorities will potentially spend years cleaning up the mess they created. HSI Washington, D.C. will continue to investigate and dismantle such criminal enterprises operating in our communities.”

According to the investigation, Ebrahimi and Metwally imported high-quality counterfeit driver’s licenses and identification cards from China to the United States. They operated an online enterprise using various websites, including ApexsFakes.com and FakeYourDrank.com, to sell counterfeit IDs.

Ebrahimi opened bank accounts in the names of Top Notch IT Services, Inc. and Apex Tech Services, Inc., through which customers made online payments. To receive shipments of fake IDs from China, the pair used fraudulent IDs and fake names. Ebrahimi rented a mailbox in Manassas under the name Brian Padilla using a fake Illinois driver’s license and one in Gainesville under the name Jordan Kalan using a fake North Carolina driver’s license. Metwally rented a mailbox in Fairfax under the name Omar Mustafa and another one in Vienna under the name Ahmed Mohammed, using two fake Illinois driver’s licenses.

Ebrahimi and Metwally sold fraudulent identification documents to individuals across the United States. In addition to individuals who wanted to appear 21 years old or older; some customers were foreign nationals, and others had criminal histories for fraud and firearms convictions. One individual used a fake ID to operate a scheme to sell stolen vehicles. Ebrahimi and Metwally made or procured thousands of fake identification documents. Their criminal enterprise continued until at least July 2020. On Aug. 8, 2022, Ebrahimi knowingly engaged in a financial transaction of criminally derived property in the transfer of $29,736.83.

Ebrahimi is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18 and faces up to 15 years in prison for trafficking in false identification documents and 10 years in prison for engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Metwally is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 4 and faces up to 15 years in prison for trafficking in false identification documents.

HSI Washington, D.C. conducted this investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Easten District of Virginia is prosecuting the case.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP. Callers may remain anonymous.

Learn more about HSI Washington, D.C.’s mission to increase public safety in our Virginia communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSI_DC.