NYC Crackdown on “Ghost-License Plates” Results in Capture of 2005 Murder Suspect

By: Donny Simcha Guttman

In a recent New York Police Department crime bust of “ghost license plates”, murder suspect Pedro Bonilla, from the Bronx was caught. In recent years, the NYPD has been cracking down on “ghost licenses” which are unregistered plates bought to evade law enforcement, and thus are illegal. Criminals and murderers generally buy such plates as police only have access to legitimate license plates and not the fake paper versions, which have been in circulation. During one such bust, the NYPD caught 200 “ghost plate” owners, where they discovered in the group Mr. Bonilla, a convicted felon with a slew of assaults. The NYPD charged him with assault, weapon possession, and resisting arrest. In another one of these discoveries, the NYPD caught another “ghost plate” car driver who had outstanding warrants in Virginia for a dealership fraud scheme.

As a result of the crackdown, police car chases have drastically increased. NYPD data from 2022-2023 shows a 600% increase in police car chases, due to toll evaders, and murderers, trying to escape authorities. In recent months, a group of 33 NYC council members wrote a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, “The sale and use of fraudulent paper plates has created new challenges in New York City: cars using such plates cannot be easily traced, and thereby pose a street safety threat to New Yorkers. These cars are being used to violate traffic laws without accountability since they can avoid speed cameras, red light cameras, and other parking rules; and are being used for other major crimes.

They are also being used to illegally avoid tolls enforced by cameras. Some states provide paper plates for periods as lengthy as 90 days, which has led to communities being unnecessarily overwhelmed with paper plates on their roads. This not only creates confusion but also makes it needlessly challenging to determine which plates are fraudulent.” Politicians have requested federal law enforcement to join local police in the effort to catch these criminals, as local resources are spread thin. Furthermore, local politicians want to hike the penalties for “ghost plate’ drivers from the current price range of $65-$200 to $1000 and $2000 for first-time and second-time offenders respectively.

In 2024, the NYPD and MTA officials conducted 21 operations, which resulted in catching those who have evaded tolls, fees, and other unpaid vehicle-related debts; collectively they owe $1.5 million. Furthermore, police have done 1,266 vehicle seizures, 276 arrests, and nearly 10,000 summonses according to the NY Post.

In recent years in liberal progressive New York City, efforts from the Progressive Caucus on the City Council have launched efforts to defund the police budget or to create further obstacles for the men in blue. NYC budget predictions in recent years forecast a recession for the government, due to the government’s aggressive Covid policies, which still affect the city four years later. The compounding problems are forcing politicians to make tough decisions on what to cut in the budget.

This year alone, a political fight ensued between NYC Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council about reducing the police budget as a way to balance the budget; the effort ultimately failed. Further consequences of progressive policies remain a forefront issue for New Yorkers in the city and surrounding suburbs. State Democrats, like NY Governor Kathy Hochul, have been attempting to make the political fortunes of national Democrats easier by introducing legislation and policies that are more moderate than proposals from the past.