LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Legal Newsline) - Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced a court ruling on Tuesday against a Las Vegas company that allegedly sold invalid international driver's licenses and identification cards.
Last week, Washington County Judge Doug Martin entered a default judgment against American ID Solutions and Saul Gomez, the company's owner. McDaniel filed a lawsuit against American ID Solutions in 2012, alleging the company fraudulently advertised its ID cards as official and legal documents.
American ID Solutions sold two types of products: an international driver's license for $175 and an ID card for $75. The company allegedly advertised its products to Spanish-speaking consumers claiming the cards would allow card holders to drive in any part of the world, obtain title and insurance, avoid most traffic citations and rent a car in any city. While the documents resembled official driver's licenses, the cards were actually useless.
"This company targeted consumers who may be unaware of the process to obtain legitimate and official driver's licenses or identification cards," McDaniel said. "Despite the advertisements to the contrary, these cards provided no benefit and served no legal purpose."
Under the terms of the judgment, the defendants were ordered to pay a $100,000 civil penalty, pay the state $4,500 in fees and costs, disgorge all funds it received from the sale of the cards and cease its operations, which allegedly violated the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
The American Automobile Association and the National Automobile Club are the only two organizations in the U.S. that are authorized by the federal government to issue international driver's permits. Non-citizens cannot obtain an international driver's permit in the United States.
Arkansas AG announces default judgment against ID card seller
