8 accused of using fake parking placards to avoid paying tickets in Manhattan
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Eight people are in police custody after being accused of using fake parking placards in an effort to get out of paying parking tickets in Manhattan.
The city's Department of Investigation says the suspects used counterfeit city-issued placards or forged handicap placards to park in spaces reserved for city employees or people with special needs.
Then they allegedly used the placards to dispute parking tickets.
"I want to commend DOI for what they did in effectuating those arrests," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "Fake placards are not going to be tolerated. Yes it is part of a bigger crackdown. We are going to be increasingly using every tool we have to create real consequences for anyone who misuses placards or creates a fake placard."
The defendants are charged with offering a false instrument for filing and could face up to four years in prison if convicted.
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