In a shocking twist of legal drama, federal charges have been filed against a man accused of employing a forged signature of Chief Justice John Roberts in a fraudulent Supreme Court order. The order allegedly aimed to dismiss his own criminal case in Indiana, as revealed by court documents.
The man, identified as Joshua M. Culver, allegedly used the alias “Maverick A. Young” and was apprehended in Colorado last Friday. His arrest followed an indictment by a federal grand jury in Indiana, which charged him with four counts of impersonating a U.S. officer or employee. Additionally, he faces charges related to the use of a forged signature of a federal judge and a counterfeit court seal.
Federal prosecutors claim that on September 24, 2025, Culver filed a deceptive document, labeled “Order of Dismissal With Prejudice,” in an ongoing criminal case against him at the Grant County Superior Court in Indiana.
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Chief Justice John Roberts attends the State of the Union address. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
According to the indictment, the document used a forged signature of 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, including asking deputies to conduct a welfare check on his biological daughter and provide information about her location.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Amy Coney Barrett at the House Chamber before President Donald J. Trump delivers the first State of the Union address of his second term to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Kenny Holston / Pool via Imagn Images)
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 Sept. 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.
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The U.S. Supreme Court as seen on Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
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.
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor stand on the House floor ahead of the annual State of the Union address by U.S. President Joe Biden before a joint session of Congress at the Capital building on March 7, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images)
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 and 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.
Bloomberg Law reported that Culver was arrested Aug. 21 and that the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Colorado was appointed to represent him.
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts attends inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)
News Media has reached out to the Supreme Court’s Public Information Office, the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Colorado and the Justice Department for comment.