NYC’s Sheriff Office Seizes 76 Cars For Having Counterfeit Paper License Plates

BY Michael Gauthier | Posted on

Washington has resorted to issuing paper license plates due to a shortage of metal ones, but paper plates are back in the news for an entirely different reason.

According to the New York City Sheriff’s Office, deputies seized 76 vehicles last Friday for having counterfeit paper license plates in the Co-Op City part of the Bronx.

Speaking with the New York Post, New York City Sheriff Joseph Fucito said two tractor-trailers, a bucket truck and even a limousine were among the offending vehicles. He added it’s important to catch those responsible as fake plates are “used to avoid the various safety cameras that are in place — the speed, the red-light-camera system, also the toll systems in New York City.”

Also Read: Massachusetts Police Bust Driver With Fake License Plate Made From A Pizza Box

Interestingly, this is a pretty widespread issue as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas charged three people in May for creating nearly 600,000 fraudulent Texas tags and selling them on the internet. One of the men involved was from New York and is believed to be behind the surge of bogus plates in the city.

The government alleges they used “fraudulent identities, drivers’ licenses, lease agreements and business signs in the online application portal to obtain GDN licenses for fictitious car dealerships.” They then advertised these on social media and it was apparently pretty profitable as MEAWW quotes authorities as saying one of the individuals made more than $250,000 (£180,668 / €213,350) last year selling up to 3,000 tags.

The government noted the bogus tags “pose a danger to the public and law enforcement because purchasers use them to avoid obtaining registration, safety inspections and liability insurance.” More importantly, some have been used in crimes as a way to hide the identity of a vehicle’s owner.

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