Tough on crime Republican busted for having fraudulent license plate on sports car: report

New York City Council member Vickie Paladino has been outspoken against unregistered vehicles, the need for bicycle license plates and other city requirements, making her known as a stickler for "law and order." But according to a report from StreetsBlog NYC, a luxury sports car parked in the Republican's driveway bears an Arizona temporary license plate that the Arizona Department of Transportation has deemed a fraud.

"The 90-day paper tag — the kind that drivers get when buying a car — lists the same plate number as a real temporary tag that was issued in September 2022, according to Arizona DOT spokesman Bill Lamoreaux. But that real tag expired in December, meaning the one in Paladino’s driveway, which lists an August expiration date, is 'fraudulent,' Lamoreaux said," StreetsBlog reported.

"Paladino said the car belongs to her son, Thomas Paladino Jr., but did not otherwise respond to a request to comment."

Paladino Jr. denied knowledge of the fraudulent tag.

"I don’t know anything about a fraudulent temporary license plate," he told StreetsBlog. "I have more than one car, all of which are properly licensed."

Read more: 'There's nothing worse': Black GOP strategist whacks DeSantis slavery claims

As StreetsBlog points out, the plate, known as a "ghost tag," is part of a larger problem in New York City that has intensified since the pandemic. The website said the tags are widely available on an online black market, and help motorists drive while concealing their identities.

"But few ghost tags are likely linked so closely to a lawmaker like Vickie Paladino, a pugnacious Republican who has emphasized law and order more than any other issue during her campaigns and time in office," StreetsBlog reported.

Read the full article over at StreetsBlog NYC.