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Texas license plate fraud: Woman admitted to selling thousands of fake tags across U.S.

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Published  May 11, 2023 8:31pm CDT
Houston
FOX 26 Houston

HOUSTON - One woman has pleaded guilty to selling thousands of fraudulent Texas temporary license plates officials say.

41-year-old Leidy Areli Hernandez Lopez, who illegally lived in Houston, admitted to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Lopez also pleaded guilty to conspiring with others in Texas and elsewhere to buy and sell thousands of fraudulent Texas-issued temporary buyer tags.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, none of the paper tags issued were for legitimate vehicle purchases and some were for cars outside of Texas.

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Officials say Lopez and her co-conspirators bought and sold fraudulent tags online and exchanged proceeds from the illegal tags.

During her plea, the U.S. Attorney's Office said she acknowledged the group would talk through email to send and deliver the buyer tags to people who bought them all over the United States, including New York and Washington, D.C.

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Lopez said her co-conspirators submitted false information to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to get a fraudulently used car dealer license to print and sell state-issued tags. She said the group then shared the fraudulent money through payment services such as Cash App and Zelle.

U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. accepted the plea and Lopez's sentencing is expected to be on Oct. 2. Lopez faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine, authorities say.

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Lopez was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

Emmanuel Padilla Reyes aka Christian Hernandez Bonilla or Noel Rivera is still a fugitive. The FBI is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone providing information that directly leads to his arrest. Those with information about the fugitive’s location should call 1-800-CALL-FBI.