A man accused of trying to derail his own Indiana criminal case with what prosecutors describe as a fake U.S. Supreme Court order bearing Chief Justice John Roberts’ forged signature is now facing federal charges, court records show.
Joshua M. Culver, who investigators say has also gone by the name “Maverick A. Young,” was taken into custody Friday in Colorado after a federal grand jury in Indiana returned an indictment. He is charged with four counts of falsely impersonating a U.S. officer or employee, along with one count tied to the alleged use of a forged federal judge’s signature and counterfeit court seal.
Prosecutors say Culver submitted a filing labeled “Order of Dismissal With Prejudice” on Sept. 24, 2025, in connection with a criminal matter he was facing in Grant County Superior Court in Indiana.
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Chief Justice John Roberts is seen attending the State of the Union address. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The indictment alleges the document was designed to look official by including a forged Roberts signature and a fake seal of the U.S. Supreme Court, apparently to make the supposed dismissal order appear legitimate.
Federal authorities say the alleged Supreme Court-related filing was not the first time Culver attempted to present himself as someone connected to the federal government.
Just five days before the alleged Roberts forgery, Culver is accused of contacting the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office while pretending to be an agent with the National Security Agency.
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.
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 Outlet 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.
