Final suspect pleads guilty in scheme to sell thousands of fake Texas car tags
HOUSTON - An undocumented immigrant in Houston is the final suspect to be convicted in a nationwide scheme to sell fake Texas paper vehicle tags, a U.S. attorney said in a Tuesday release.
According to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Gangei, 35-year-old Emmanuel Padilla Reyes admitted to his role in the scheme, joining three others convicted in connection with the crimes.
Fake Texas tags operation
The release says Reyes, who was reportedly in the country illegally, and his co-conspirators sold at least 550,000 Texas temporary buyer tags without selling any vehicles.
Reyes admitted to using at least two aliases for the scheme, the release says, using them to get used car dealer licenses.
He also reportedly used falsified information for online applications in the scheme. The release says Reyes and his coconspirators advertised the false records online, including through social media platforms.
Why you should care:
The release explains that illegal tags can contribute to crime, largely by helping to avoid registration, safety inspections and car insurance.
They are also commonly used to evade law enforcement, the release says. The investigation into the scheme found that "ghost cars" with false tags are used to commit crimes ranging from driving with no insurance to committing robberies and drive-by shootings.
Crime scheme coconspirators
The release says Leidy Areli Hernandez Lopez, 44, Octavian Ocasio, 53, and Daniel Christine-Tani, 36, were also charged and convicted in the scheme and were sentenced to prison.
Fake tags 'wholesaler' sentenced for selling hundreds of thousands of illegal Texas paper tags
A 43-year-old woman will spend time in federal prison after being found guilty of buying hundreds of thousands of illegal Texas paper tags and then selling them to others.
Lopez, also an undocumented immigrant, reportedly failed to report to prison. A federal grand jury returned an indictment Feb. 20 charging her with failure to surrender. Lopez is considered a fugitive, and a warrant remains outstanding for her arrest.
What you can do:
Anyone with information about Lopez's whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 713-693-5000.
What's next:
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks is set to sentence Reyes on July 23. At that time, Reyes faces up to five years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
He has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing, the release says.
The Source: Information in this article comes from U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Gangei.