HOUSTON (Covering Katy News) – A man who helped run a massive fraud scheme selling fake Texas temporary license plates has been sentenced to prison.
Emmanuel Padilla Reyes, 35, admitted his guilt in May. U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks has now ordered him to serve 5 years in prison and pay $22 million back to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Since he is not a U.S. citizen, he will likely be deported after serving his sentence.
Family of Victim Testifies at Sentencing Hearing
During the court hearing, the family of an 18-year-old killed by a truck with a fake plates testified. The judge noted that there were many more victims just like this one whose lives Reyes harmed and negatively changed, and that this was not a victimless crime.
“The defendant’s criminal scheme was not only illegal in itself, but also facilitated scores of other crimes, such as armed robberies and drive-by shootings,” said the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Nicholas Ganjei. “Texas motorists deserve to know vehicles on the roadways alongside them and their families are genuinely licensed, rather than the instruments of crime.”…