Stamford Man Earns Felony Forgery Charge for Fake License

A Stamford man was pulled over for a traffic violation but ended up with a felony after trying to pass off a forged license, Port Chester police said.

Luis Murcia, 53, blew through a stop sign at the intersection of Broad and Irving streets at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, Lt. James Ladeairous said.

When an officer pulled him over and asked for his license and registration, Murcia handed him a rumpled New York State driver's license. The officer ran the license through a police computer system and "it came back as legit, but it was not a New York license," Ladeairous said. The numbers and identifying details were correct, but the card was eroding and wasn't made from the same materials as a real state license.

Murcia "swore it was real" until the officer pressed him, finally admitting he'd purchased the fake license from a shop in Manhattan's Chinatown. Murcia told police he has a license, but does not have a Social Security number. He'd purchased the fake, he said, because he was worried the Department of Motor Vehicles would not issue a new license without Murcia providing a Social Security number.

Murcia, of 1072 Main St. in Stamford, CT, was charged with second-degree felony forgery, as well as violations for running a stop sign and having a child in the rear of the vehicle without proper restraints.

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