Fictitious License Plates
Legal Definition
A person commits this offense by knowingly displaying, affixing, or using a fictitious, altered, or counterfeit license plate or registration insignia on a motor vehicle. The statute prohibits the manufacture, sale, possession with intent to sell, or use of any license plate or registration device that is not genuinely issued by the Motor Vehicle Division. This includes plates that are forged, reproduced without authorization, or materially altered to misrepresent the vehicle's registration status.
Possible Punishment
Up to 364 days in county jail and a fine up to $1,000. The court may also order forfeiture of the fictitious plates and any equipment used to manufacture them.
Local Context
This offense is distinct from simply operating an unregistered vehicle or displaying an expired plate; it requires the element of fictitious or counterfeit materials. Related violations include failure to register a vehicle (§ 66-3-1 et seq.) and fraudulent use of another person's validly issued plates.
Criminal Traffic Cases in Doña Ana County
Not every traffic offense is a ticket. Driving on a suspended or revoked license, reckless driving, and fleeing an officer are criminal charges that end in booking rather than a citation, and they appear constantly in our feed. Suspended-license charges in particular tend to snowball: unpaid fines lead to suspension, driving anyway leads to arrest, and missing the court date adds a bench warrant.
Criminal traffic cases are heard in Las Cruces Municipal Court for city violations and Doña Ana Magistrate Court for state charges. If alcohol or drugs are involved, the case moves into DWI territory with its own mandatory penalties.
Related Guides
Bench Warrants and Failure to Appear in New Mexico: How a Missed Court Date Becomes a Booking
What a bench warrant is, how it differs from an arrest warrant, why FTA bookings fill the Doña Ana County jail log, and how to clear a warrant before arrest.
DWI Arrests in New Mexico: Penalties, Aggravated DWI, and the MVD Clock
What a New Mexico DWI arrest means: legal limits, first-offense penalties, aggravated DWI, felony DWI, and the separate MVD license hearing deadline.
Recent Arrests for This Charge (1)
Information provided for general reference. Statutory text is summarized and may not reflect the most recent amendments. All persons listed are presumed innocent until proven guilty.