A 24-year-old Gary man is facing multiple felony charges after investigators say he created and mailed a forged, notarized legal document that falsely appeared to originate from the Indiana Attorney General’s Office and demanded restitution from a financial services company.
Malachi Isaiah Laxton has been charged with counterfeiting, impersonation of a public servant, and intimidation, according to court records.
The investigation began when the Indiana Attorney General’s Office was alerted that Dash Services had received a suspicious notarized affidavit believed to be fraudulent. Authorities say the document falsely claimed to have been prepared by an investigator with the Attorney General’s Office and demanded that Dash Services provide restitution to Laxton, a customer who had previously disputed a financial claim.
Court documents show that Laxton initially contacted the Attorney General’s Office on July 18, 2023, alleging he was a victim of identity theft and requesting full reimbursement of funds. The complaint was mailed from Gary, with a postmark dated July 20, 2023.
An investigator from the Attorney General’s Office responded by email on July 25, 2024, using an official professional signature. Days later, Laxton forwarded a letter from Dash Services dated July 12, 2024, indicating his reimbursement request had been denied. In that letter, Dash Services cited inconsistencies between Laxton’s claims and a police report he filed with the Gary Police Department on July 2, 2024.
Dash Services noted that although Laxton claimed the theft occurred in April 2020, the prepaid debit card linked to the alleged $20,000 PPP loan was not issued until July 2021 and was not activated until several days later. The company also stated that Laxton continued using the same card for years and did not report it missing until four years after the alleged theft.
On September 6, 2024, Dash Services contacted the Attorney General’s Office again after receiving what they believed to be a forged affidavit. The company reported that the document appeared to be created using a LawDepot.com template and alleged that the professional signature block from the Attorney General investigator’s earlier email had been copied into the forged document.
The affidavit listed Laxton as the plaintiff and Dash Solutions as the defendant and stated that the Indiana Attorney General’s Office was “demanding” immediate action. The document called for a restitution payment of $20,665 and warned that failure to comply would result in further legal action. Investigators noted the document contained a “2002–2024 LawDepot.com” watermark.
Authorities say the affidavit was notarized on August 12, 2024, at a UPS Store in Merrillville. The notary confirmed that Laxton presented valid photo identification, signed the document in their presence, and that the information recorded in the notary log matched Bureau of Motor Vehicles records.
Investigators later confirmed that the Attorney General’s Office did not author the affidavit and that the investigator whose name appeared on the document had never drafted affidavits for the office at that time.
Dash Services reported the document was mailed from the Merrillville UPS Store on August 12, 2024, and delivered to their office in Omaha, Nebraska before being internally circulated and reported to authorities.
Investigators allege the forged affidavit falsely represented itself as an official legal demand from the Indiana Attorney General’s Office and was used in an attempt to coerce Dash Services into issuing restitution funds.
Laxton was lodged in the Lake County Jail on February 4, 2026. Charges filed on January 29, 2026, include:
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Counterfeiting (Level 6 Felony)
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Impersonation of a Public Servant (Level 6 Felony)
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Intimidation – Threat to Commit a Forcible Felony (Level 6 Felony)