Colorado Man Allegedly Forged Chief Justice’s Signature to Dismiss His Own Criminal Case

Clear Facts

• Joshua M. Culver was arrested in Colorado after allegedly forging Chief Justice John Roberts’ signature on a fake Supreme Court order to dismiss his Indiana criminal case
• Federal prosecutors charged Culver with four counts of impersonating a U.S. officer and one count of using a forged federal judge’s signature and court seal
• Culver allegedly posed as multiple federal officials including an NSA agent, a Supreme Court Special Master, and a director of a purported intelligence agency over several months

A Colorado man faces federal charges after allegedly forging Chief Justice John Roberts’ signature on a fraudulent Supreme Court order in an attempt to have his own criminal case dismissed. The brazen scheme represents just one of several instances where the accused allegedly impersonated federal officials.

Joshua M. Culver, who authorities say also used the alias “Maverick A. Young,” was arrested last Friday in Colorado following a federal grand jury indictment in Indiana. He faces four counts of falsely impersonating a U.S. officer or employee and one count involving the use of a forged federal judge’s signature and court seal.

Federal prosecutors allege Culver filed a document titled “Order of Dismissal With Prejudice” on September 24, 2025, in a criminal case pending against him in Grant County Superior Court in Indiana. According to the indictment, the document used a forged signature of Chief Justice Roberts and a counterfeit U.S. Supreme Court seal in an effort to authenticate the purported dismissal order.

The alleged scheme involving the nation’s highest court was not Culver’s first attempt to pass himself off as a federal official, prosecutors say. Five days before the alleged Roberts forgery, Culver allegedly posed as a National Security Agency agent while contacting the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the indictment, Culver used his purported authority as an NSA agent to make requests that prosecutors say the sheriff’s office otherwise would not have fulfilled. These included asking deputies to conduct a welfare check on his biological daughter and provide information about her location.

Culver also allegedly sought the names and information of sheriff’s office employees and claimed he could take “adverse action” against the department in his purported capacity as an NSA agent. The following day, on September 20, 2025, Culver allegedly called the workplace of an individual identified in the indictment only as “Individual A.”

Prosecutors say he falsely identified himself as a federal agent, claimed the person was “obstructing a federal investigation of a child kidnapping” and represented that he could have the individual arrested for committing a federal felony. He also allegedly asked the person’s employer to intervene to obtain the individual’s cooperation.

Months later, in January 2026, Culver allegedly portrayed himself as a “Special Master enforcing orders of the United States Supreme Court” in a communication sent to the Lake County clerk and directed to a Superior Court judge. Prosecutors allege Culver claimed he had the authority to issue orders and warrants while demanding that the judge and court personnel take several actions, including making changes to vital records and dismissing cases and judgments against him.

The indictment alleges Culver also warned that if officials failed to comply, he and U.S. Marshals would make arrests for “impeding a federal agent, lying to a federal agent, and conspiracy.”

Then, in February, Culver allegedly assumed yet another federal identity, this time portraying himself as the “Director of Tailored Access Operations,” which the indictment describes as a purported intelligence agency. Prosecutors allege Culver filed a document titled “OFFICIAL SENSITIVE: TAILORED ACCESS OPERATIONS (TAO) COMPLIANCE DIRECTIVE” in Lake County Superior Court in a case pending against him.

The document, which purported to bear official letterhead, allegedly described Culver as a “federal asset” involved in multiple investigations. It demanded that officials take a series of actions under a purported “federal directive.”

Those demands included dismissing the case against Culver with prejudice, quashing warrants and requiring Lake County officials to cooperate with a purported “federal audit,” according to the indictment. Culver was arrested August 21 and the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Colorado was appointed to represent him.

The case underscores the serious federal penalties that await those who attempt to impersonate federal officials or forge judicial signatures. Such schemes undermine public trust in legitimate government institutions and interfere with the proper administration of justice.

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