NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Officials arrested four Long Island residents accused of illegally selling temporary Texas license plates, Suffolk District Attorney Timothy Sini announced Thursday.
A joint investigation by Sini's office and Suffolk police was launched after authorities spotted an increased amount of the tags in Suffolk County.
Prosecutors allege that Julio A. Borges Jr., 26, William Dunphy, 19, Omar A. Awan, 29 and his brother, Usman A. Awan, 22, advertised temporary tags on social media sites including Craigslist and Facebook and provide customers with temporary tags to be issued for any vehicle.
Buyers would then provide the suspects with vehicle identification numbers as well as the make, model, and year of the vehicle in exchange for a temporary tag valid for 60 days.
Undercover investigators purchased the illegal temporary Texas plates from the defendants, paying $100 to $150 for each one, according to prosecutors.
The temporary license plates can be generated online by licensed automobile dealers in Texas through the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles' eTag website but it is illegal for the temporary tags to be issued for any vehicle not sold in Texas, and for the tags to be sold or transferred, officials said.
The defendants were arrested and charged with second-degree criminal possession of a false instrument, prosecutors said
"Anyone who fell victim to this scam should be aware that these plates are not valid and you should take immediate steps to get your vehicle properly insured and registered," Sini said in a news release. "This is a matter of both keeping our roads safe and protecting residents from paying into these scams."
Attorney Michael Brown of Central Islip, who represents both Awan brothers, said his clients were trying to assist a friend who could not register a vehicle in New York state because that person could not get an appointment with the Department of Motor Vehicles.
He noted they did not have prior criminal records and called them "upstanding members of the community."
All four defendants were released and are due back in court in March.
If convicted, each defendant faces up to seven years in prison.
An investigation is ongoing and anyone with information should contact the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office's Financial Investigations & Money Laundering Bureau at 631-853-4232 or by email to InfoDA@suffolkcountyny.gov.
