{"id":26019,"date":"2026-05-07T14:34:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T18:34:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T11:02:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T15:02:57","slug":"brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn&#8217;s Fake Plate Empire Falls: Ghost Cars Scheme Busted"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>Picture this: a Brooklyn resident at the center of a fake license plate ring, helping &#8220;ghost cars&#8221; quietly breeze through New York streets. That\u2019s exactly what landed Tyheem Evans in court, where he owned up to running a multi-state scam now on state officials\u2019 radar.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>More and more, officials are getting worried about the spike in counterfeit temporary tags\u2014they\u2019re being used to dodge everything from tolls to registration checks, raising red flags across the region.<\/p>\n<p>The details? Released in a press statement found on <a href=\"https:\/\/nycnewswire.com\/news\/brooklyn-man-sentenced-fake-plate-scheme\">NYC Newswire<\/a>, with New York Attorney General Letitia James and several agencies collaborating on the case.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Instagram Became Marketplace for Brooklyn Plate Scammer<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Evans, age 28, reportedly took to Instagram to peddle fake temp plates, advertising to buyers not just in New York, but in other states as well.<\/p>\n<p>Cops say the scam ran for over a year, netting more than 50 sales\u2014each plate going for up to $210 and pitched as valid anywhere in the country.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The defendant pleaded guilty and was sentenced today for using social media to advertise and sell forged temporary license plates for a fee to more than four dozen customers,&#8221; shared DOI Commissioner Nadia I. Shihata.<\/p>\n<p>Evans\u2019 plea in Kings County Criminal Court resulted in a conditional discharge, plus community service.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What Ghost Cars Mean for NYC<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>This case opened a window on a bigger problem: so-called \u201cghost cars.\u201d Authorities say bogus plates make vehicles virtually untraceable.<\/p>\n<p>These cars effortlessly slip past toll scanners and traffic cameras, and can even disappear after accidents or crimes.<\/p>\n<p>Fake plates also conceal whether a car is insured or registered, which troubles both law enforcement and transportation officials.<\/p>\n<p>DMV Acting Commissioner Christian Jackstadt put it this way: \u201cWe will find you and you will be held responsible for your actions.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Social Media at the Center of Fraud Operation<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Evans used an Instagram profile, @DMVTemps, to showcase 30-, 60-, and 90-day counterfeit tags.<\/p>\n<p>Buyers would DM their car\u2019s make, model, year, and VIN, then pay digitally. In return, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/newyorkstateag\/posts\/were-announcing-the-arrest-and-guilty-plea-of-tyheem-evans-a-brooklyn-resident-w\/1519710789521032\/\">Evans<\/a> sent them a PDF of the forged document.<\/p>\n<p>The operation spanned a handful of states\u2014including California, Texas, Georgia, and New Jersey\u2014running from April 2022 to September 2023.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Authorities Take a Hard Line<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Attorney General Letitia James sees this as part of a larger push to shut down phony vehicle schemes threatening road safety and public confidence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTyheem Evans defrauded drivers and the DMV with a petty scheme to line his own pockets while making our roads less safe,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Letitia_James\">Attorney General Letitia James<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>She urges everyone to use only official DMV channels\u2014avoid sketchy online alternatives at all costs.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Agencies Team Up to Crack Down<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The investigation was a team effort, involving the Attorney General\u2019s Office, the <a href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/nycpolitics\">NYC Department of Investigation<\/a>, and the State DMV.<\/p>\n<p>Cooperation like this is key to tracking down digital fraud networks that move quickly and quietly online.<\/p>\n<p>The bust is just one step in a broader campaign, with agencies targeting scams that hurt toll collections, insurance, and road enforcement.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What\u2019s on the Horizon?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>State agencies have pledged to keep increasing enforcement against these kinds of forged license plate operations\u2014especially those thriving online.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re also stepping up online monitoring to catch more fraudsters in the act.<\/p>\n<p>This Brooklyn case will likely set the tone for future crackdowns on &#8220;ghost car&#8221; fraud and social media-based scams.<\/p>\n<p>Catch a full rundown in the original press release at NYC Newswire.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What People Are Asking<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s a \u201cghost car\u201d?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt\u2019s a car that uses fake or untraceable plates, so it can dodge tolls and enforcement systems without a trace.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did the Brooklyn scam work?<\/strong><br \/>\nEvans sold phony plates via Instagram, taking payment online and delivering the documents electronically.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What punishment did Evans get?<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter pleading guilty, the <a href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/\">Brooklyn<\/a> man was given a conditional discharge plus 100 hours of community service.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Want NYC News First?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Stay on top of local policy changes, housing news, and more\u2014sign up for our updates to get it all straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n<p>Join our <a href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/newsletter\/\">newsletter<\/a> for in-depth coverage of New York\u2019s most pressing stories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Picture this: a Brooklyn resident at the center of a fake license plate ring, helping &#8220;ghost cars&#8221; quietly breeze through New York streets. That\u2019s exactly what landed Tyheem Evans in court, where he owned up to running a multi-state scam now on state officials\u2019 radar. More and more, officials are getting worried about the spike [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26020,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2717],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bk-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v26.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Brooklyn&#039;s Fake Plate Empire Falls: Ghost Cars Scheme Busted - Brooklyn News and Events<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Brooklyn&#039;s Fake Plate Empire Falls: Ghost Cars Scheme Busted\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Picture this: a Brooklyn resident at the center of a fake license plate ring, helping &#8220;ghost cars&#8221; quietly breeze through New York streets. That\u2019s exactly what landed Tyheem Evans in court, where he owned up to running a multi-state scam now on state officials\u2019 radar. More and more, officials are getting worried about the spike [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Brooklyn News and Events\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-07T18:34:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-08T15:02:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2026\/05\/fake-plate-scheme.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sam Whitaker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sam Whitaker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/\",\"name\":\"Brooklyn's Fake Plate Empire Falls: Ghost Cars Scheme Busted - Brooklyn News and Events\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2026\/05\/fake-plate-scheme.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-07T18:34:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-08T15:02:57+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/d7282ce768f17f80726e6d2aefdb1e88\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2026\/05\/fake-plate-scheme.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2026\/05\/fake-plate-scheme.jpg\",\"width\":750,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"Photo Credit: Mehaniq \/ Shutterstock\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Brooklyn&#8217;s Fake Plate Empire Falls: Ghost Cars Scheme Busted\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/\",\"name\":\"Brooklyn News and Events\",\"description\":\"For What&#039;s Buzzin&#039; in Brooklyn\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/d7282ce768f17f80726e6d2aefdb1e88\",\"name\":\"Sam Whitaker\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dabe44a0419db596bbdd8b541c820f0687802ff8f61b8bc5978811ac376865e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dabe44a0419db596bbdd8b541c820f0687802ff8f61b8bc5978811ac376865e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Sam Whitaker\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/author\/wpadmin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Brooklyn's Fake Plate Empire Falls: Ghost Cars Scheme Busted - Brooklyn News and Events","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Brooklyn's Fake Plate Empire Falls: Ghost Cars Scheme Busted","og_description":"Picture this: a Brooklyn resident at the center of a fake license plate ring, helping &#8220;ghost cars&#8221; quietly breeze through New York streets. That\u2019s exactly what landed Tyheem Evans in court, where he owned up to running a multi-state scam now on state officials\u2019 radar. More and more, officials are getting worried about the spike [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/","og_site_name":"Brooklyn News and Events","article_published_time":"2026-05-07T18:34:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-08T15:02:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":750,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2026\/05\/fake-plate-scheme.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sam Whitaker","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sam Whitaker","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/","url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/","name":"Brooklyn's Fake Plate Empire Falls: Ghost Cars Scheme Busted - Brooklyn News and Events","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2026\/05\/fake-plate-scheme.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-07T18:34:26+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-08T15:02:57+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/d7282ce768f17f80726e6d2aefdb1e88"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2026\/05\/fake-plate-scheme.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2026\/05\/fake-plate-scheme.jpg","width":750,"height":500,"caption":"Photo Credit: Mehaniq \/ Shutterstock"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyns-fake-plate-empire-falls-ghost-cars-scheme-busted\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Brooklyn&#8217;s Fake Plate Empire Falls: Ghost Cars Scheme Busted"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/","name":"Brooklyn News and Events","description":"For What&#039;s Buzzin&#039; in Brooklyn","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/d7282ce768f17f80726e6d2aefdb1e88","name":"Sam Whitaker","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dabe44a0419db596bbdd8b541c820f0687802ff8f61b8bc5978811ac376865e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dabe44a0419db596bbdd8b541c820f0687802ff8f61b8bc5978811ac376865e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Sam Whitaker"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/author\/wpadmin\/"}]}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26019"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26019\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26021,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26019\/revisions\/26021"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}