Who you gonna call?
Bronx Councilman Oswald Feliz has proposed legislation to stiffen penalties and crack down on the use of bogus paper license plates for “ghost cars.”
“Fraudulent plates have created new public safety challenges: ghost cars. Like ghost guns, ghost cars are difficult to trace, and are being used not only to violate traffic laws with impunity,
but also to commit major crimes,” the lawmaker said.
One measure would impose a $1,000 fine for selling fraudulent plates on a first offense, and at least $2,000 for repeat offenders.
Under a second bill, motorists caught driving with fraudulent plates would pay a $500 fine for a first offense and a $1,000 fine for subsequent violations.
Current fines are between $65 and $200.
In addition, motorists driving with expired plates would pay $300, but the fine could be dismissed if they obtain official plates within 10 days of getting a summons.
“The plates are encouraging reckless behavior in our communities, and we must crack down on them. The use of these plates exploded during pandemic-related DMV closures, which led to an increase in temporary paper plates, giving cover to individuals with fraudulent plates,” Feliz said.
Aside from better police enforcement, the councilman said online sites like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace must bolster efforts to detect and remove listings related to fake plates.
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but also to commit major crimes,” Feliz said.
He also said the federal government must create standards so temporary plates produced in every state have enhanced security features to help prevent easy fabrication.
Both Mayor Eric Adams and his predecessor, former Mayor Bill de Blasio, announced police crackdowns on bogus plates that led to hundreds of arrests and thousands of towed cars.
Phony paper plates are often employed to try to avoid tolls or being tracked down.
But in recent years they’ve been used in the commission of more serious crimes.
“When you see people using these paper plates, many times they are doing something [else] illegal,” Adams said last July.
“We heard of ghost guns. Now we are talking about ghost vehicles. Ghost guns can’t be traced and ghost vehicles can’t be traced,” explained Adams, a former transit cop. “We know that if we don’t get them off the streets, just like ghost guns, they become a weapon of death for innocent New Yorkers. So we’re fighting … the increase in ghost cars that can’t be traced.”
In August 2021, Octavian Ocasio, the self-proclaimed “Used Car King of New York” was busted in a prolific scam that included selling as many as 3,000 phony paper tags, pocketing more than $250,000 from customers that included gang bangers and car thieves in New York.
Feliz said changes to motor vehicle and traffic regulation typically have to be addressed in state law by the governor and state Legislature in Albany. But he said the Council can pass a city law to hike fines.
