A man from Indiana named Joshua M. Culver has been arrested for allegedly forging the signature of Chief Justice John Roberts on a fake Supreme Court order. The order was intended to dismiss a criminal case against him. Culver, who also goes by the alias “Maverick A. Young,” was apprehended in Colorado after an Indiana federal grand jury charged him with four counts of impersonating a U.S. officer or employee and one count of using a forged federal judge’s signature and court seal.
Prosecutors claim that 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, Indiana. The indictment states that this document falsely bore the signature of Chief Justice Roberts and a counterfeit Supreme Court seal, which Culver allegedly used to validate the dismissal.
This was apparently not Culver’s first attempt to impersonate a federal official. Days before the alleged forgery involving Justice Roberts, Culver reportedly posed as an agent from the National Security Agency (NSA) when contacting the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office. Prosecutors say he exploited his bogus authority as an NSA agent to make requests the sheriff’s office might not have otherwise executed. These requests included a welfare check on his daughter and obtaining her location information.
In another incident around September 20, 2025, Culver allegedly contacted an individual’s workplace, claiming to be a federal agent investigating a purported child kidnapping. He suggested that the person was obstructing this federal investigation and could be arrested for committing a felony. Culver also asked the employer to assist in gaining the individual’s cooperation.
By January 2026, Culver’s alleged impersonations continued; this time as a “Special Master enforcing orders of the United States Supreme Court.” He communicated with the Lake County clerk demanding actions, such as changes to vital records and dismissals of cases and judgments against him.
In February, Culver allegedly adopted another false federal identity, claiming to be the “Director of Tailored Access Operations,” an intelligence role. He filed a document, titled “OFFICIAL SENSITIVE: TAILORED ACCESS OPERATIONS (TAO) COMPLIANCE DIRECTIVE,” in Lake County Superior Court. This document purported to present Culver as a “federal asset” with demands for case dismissal and warrant quashing against him.
Culver was arrested on August 21, and the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Colorado was appointed to represent him.