Trying to purchase alcohol or sneaking into a bar with a fake ID is illegal and penalized, but it does not fall under the category of identity theft and a possible felony.

Identity theft is now a class D felony according to the House File 534, which provides a penalty up to five years in prison and a fine of $7,500.

The bill was passed in the House on Monday, March 25, 2013.

The bill states that people under 21 will not be charged with identity theft when trying to sneak into a casino or purchase alcohol but will be charged with punishments that relate to that crime.

According to Commander Geoff Huff of the Ames police, when the police find a minor using a fake ID they are normally issued citation for being on premise.

The ID is then taken away and sent to the Department of Transportation, with information of who possessed the license. At that point it is up to the Department of Transportation to decide what they are going to do with the ID.

“We’ve got more than enough people that are of legal age drinking; we certainly don’t need anybody who’s not of legal age drinking alcohol. Those tend to cause problems later on in the night,” Huff said.

Many underage students try to purchase alcohol around Campustown, and AJ’s Market and Liquor store on 129 Welch Avenue has faced several incidents where people carrying fake IDs have tried to do just that.

Garrett Hathaway, an employee at both of the AJ’s Market and Liquor stores in Ames, says he has seen this happen first-hand when working as a cashier.

Before selling alcohol, employees at liquor stores go through a class that is specialized in identifying fake IDs and how to deal with them, Hathaway said. The class is put on by the Ames Police once or twice a month.

“I have probably taken five or six IDs, so far, since October I guess,” Hathaway said.

Fake IDs are taken away and the person is kicked out of the store. At this point, they are free to go, but the fake ID is taken to the police in the next couple of days.

Although using a fake ID is identity theft to certain point, since people are not trying to make money by using it, House File 534 does not cover minors in this sense.