A 65-year-old Lawrence man with connections to the sovereign citizen movement was indicted by a grand jury for leading a conspiracy to use, buy and sell fraudulent diplomatic identification cards, a spokesman for a federal attorney said.

The suspect, David L. Robinson, is among five men charged in an 18-count federal indictment that was unsealed Tuesday, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney John F. Wood, who represents the western district of Missouri.

According to the indictment, the men allegedly told customers who allegedly purchased the phony ID cards that the benefits of obtaining the card included not having to pay taxes and immunity from being stopped, detained or arrested by law enforcement, the release stated. Customers allegedly paid from $450 to $1,500 for the three-by-four-inch laminated cards that identified the customer as an “Ambassador.” The phony credentials contained photographs of the card bearer, the U.S. Department of State seal and the words “Diplomatic Identification.”

The men participated in the conspiracy beginning sometime before July 11, 2006, until Oct. 18, 2007, Wood’s office said.

Robinson and defendant Daniel W. Denham, 49, of Kingsville, Mo., were in federal court Tuesday. The indictment states the men, who are involved in various sovereign citizen groups that reject governmental authority and claim that most branches of the federal government are illegitimate entities, were the original leaders of the group, according to the release.

“Robinson’s role in the conspiracy allegedly consisted of explaining the process to individuals who were interested in obtaining a fraudulent diplomatic identification card,” said Don Ledford, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney.

Robinson then referred customers to Denham to order their ID cards, the release stated.

The other men indicted as a part of the scheme are Larry P. Goodyke, 51, of Henderson, Nev.; Blake W. Bestol, 47, of Cheyenne, Wyo.; and John D. Conrey, 43, of Foristell, Mo. All the suspects have connections to the sovereign citizen movement, Ledford said.

According to the indictment, Goodyke and Bestol were customers of Robinson and Denham, who ordered fraudulent cards and allegedly became involved in the conspiracy by modifying, improving and revising the cards, Wood’s office said.

Conrey allegedly became involved in the conspiracy by receiving a fraudulent ID card from Denham, through Bestol, Wood’s office said.

“Conrey presented the fraudulent cards at airports and to law enforcement personnel, the indictment states, then reported the results of this field testing to Bestol, who developed modifications to the identification cards to increase their effectiveness,” said Ledford. “Bestol forwarded these modifications to Goodyke and Denham, who incorporated them into future versions of the diplomatic identification cards.”

The men are charged with conspiracy and multiple counts of transferring fraudulent diplomatic credentials bearing the department of state seal to others. Robinson is also charged with wrongfully using a government seal or instrument for displaying one of the fraudulent diplomatic ID cards to a Kansas City, Mo., police officer when he was stopped on Sept. 20, 2007, Ledford said.

A federal jury will hear the case to determine whether the men are guilty.