Texas law classifies various crimes associated with falsified documents as forgery, and the penalties for forgery vary according to the type of document being forged. For example, it is a state jail felony to forge a document that authorizes the transfer of money, such as a check, will, or business contract. It is a Class C felony to produce counterfeit versions of government-issued documents such as banknotes, postage stamps, government records, or government-issued photo IDs. The court might upgrade the grades if the falsified documents caused an elderly person to lose money or if anyone defrauded by the forged documents suffered heavy financial losses. Temporary license plate tags do not, at first glance, seem like an especially lucrative document to falsify until you consider that they can conceal the identity of expensive vehicles. Forgery of temporary motor vehicle tags has become widespread in Texas, both in the context of illegal business practices by used car dealerships and in efforts to enable stolen vehicles to evade notice by police. If you are facing charges for counterfeiting temporary license tags for cars, contact a Texas white-collar crime lawyer.
State Jail Felony or Organized Crime?
Texas laws about temporary vehicle tags have recently become stricter as a result of widespread fraud involving paper temporary vehicle tags, although it is unclear which new regulations will take effect when the law becomes effective in the summer of 2025. The owner of a car dealership in the Austin area is being charged with the illegal sale of temporary tags, which is a state jail felony. Her case is still pending, and, like all defendants in criminal cases, she is innocent until proven guilty. An investigation that began with the Austin dealership led police to discover that the dealership had been charging customers a fee for falsifying inspection reports and issuing temporary tags as a package deal. The investigation revealed the widespread distribution of fake Texas temporary license tags on stolen cars throughout the country; a defendant in New York received a prison sentence after earning millions in profits from selling many thousands of fake tags. Investigators increasingly consider the possibility that petty theft and low-level financial crimes are connected to organized illegal enterprises.
Possible Defenses If You Are Accused of Possessing or Selling a Fake License Tag
Charges of forgery only apply if you knew that the forged document was forged and that you intended to make others believe that it is genuine; prosecutors do not have to prove that you are the one who forged the document, only that you presented it under false pretenses. With some forged documents, you can argue that you presented the document as a joke, such as a letter that you are pretending was signed by a celebrity, if you can show that the intended audience knew that it was fake. This does not work with temporary license tags since it is as illegal to drive with an obviously fake license tag as with a realistic forgery. You may, however, argue that you believed that the license tag was genuine.
Contact the Law Office of Patrick J. McLain, PLLC About Criminal Defense Cases
A Dallas criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are being accused of counterfeiting license tags. Contact the Law Office of Patrick J. McLain, PLLC, in Dallas, Texas, to discuss your case.