Police Say Man Drove With Fake License Plate on the Thruway
Maybe he should have gone for something less obvious.
Police say a traffic stop lead to felony charges against one New York man after it was determined he was driving with a fake license plate. Authorities did not disclose what he was originally pulled over for, or if they already had a suspicion that something was off about his plates.
Fines for Fake Plates
The punishments for driving with falsified plates in New York are "surprisingly stern", according to one law firm. New York Trial Attorneys website says that "creation of fake plates or possessing the machines to make them is a class E felony and the maximum penalty is 4 years in prison and a fine of up to $5000 dollars."
There are also quite a few rules in New York concerning the display of license plates as well.
See Also: Hudson Valley Man Who Crashed on Thruway Allegedly Had BAC Over 3X Legal Limit
Man Busted in Rockland County for Alleged Fake Plates
The New York State Police said in a press release that a 54-year-old man from the Bronx was stopped on the afternoon of January 28 on I-87. Police said during the traffic stop in the Village of South Nyack, the temporary registration that was attached to the vehicle was confirmed to be a fictitious plate.
State police said they arrested the suspect and that he was processed at SP Tarrytown.
New York State DMV Restrictions
PIX 11 says that New York’s Department of Motor Vehicles rejected more than 1,800 requests for personalized license plates in 2022.
New York's DMV has quite a few restrictions when it comes to personalized plates. Everything from what may be considered "obscene, profane, vulgar, repulsive, depraved, or lewd", or what may "refer to a sexual or intimate body part", to what may reference "eliminatory or other bodily functions," are apparently a no-go.
See the DMV's Full List of Rejects HERE.
Horribly Drawn Registration Stickers
The Times Union says a New York state man was pulled over for an unspecified reason in August 2022, when troopers quickly spotted the nearly incomprehensible mess he had strewn together for this alleged forged sticker. From its appearance, the fake inspection looks like it was drawn up with Magic Marker on a Post-it note.
The writing is so poorly scribbled onto the note paper that it either looks like he ran out of space and/or misspelled some words entirely.
The Johnstown man also rewrote the year "2023" over a previous attempt, with multiple scribbled lines drawn out around the box. A press release from NY State Police says that he had not had a valid inspection since February 2021.
See the handmade sticker HERE.
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