No charges filed in Platemakrs probe: State attorney says evidence doesn’t meet criminal threshold

OAKLAND PARK, Fla. – A Local 10 News probe that sparked a transgression probe into a South Florida licence sheet customization concern has present reached a turning point: the Broward County authorities lawyer has declined to record charges.

In November 2024, WPLG archetypal reported connected the Florida Highway Patrol’s crackdown connected altered licence plates—specifically targeting a concern called Platemakrs successful Oakland Park.

The business, which boasts a ample societal media following, offers customized wraps and stylized modifications to state-issued licence plates. These ocular changes, authorities say, interruption authorities law.

FHP had recommended transgression charges against 2 men, Clayton Holderness and John Georgetti, alleging they counterfeited authoritative authorities licence plates successful usurpation of Florida Statute 320.26(1)(a).

State records amusement Holderness and Georgetti are listed arsenic owners of Platemakrs. But now, prosecutors accidental the grounds doesn’t enactment a transgression case.

“We recognize and enactment what the Florida Highway Patrol instrumentality enforcement officers are doing to support our streets safe,” wrote Paula McMahon, Director of Communications and Media Relations for the Broward County State Attorney’s Office, successful a connection to Local 10 News. “But unfortunately, successful these 2 cases, the grounds was not capable to beryllium a transgression violation.”

Instead, the authorities attorney’s bureau said the lawsuit whitethorn conscionable the criteria for a noncriminal postulation usurpation nether a abstracted statute—Florida Statute 320.061—which deals with unlawfully altering a licence plate.

A elder authoritative reviewed the cases and determined that portion the plates were so altered, they were not counterfeited. The distinction, they said, is crucial.

According to the prosecutor’s findings, Georgetti’s concern progressive wrapping morganatic plates with a colored merchandise that changes the plate’s quality but does not change the letters, numbers oregon authorities designation. That action, they concluded, lacks the required “intent to deceive” indispensable for a counterfeiting charge.

“The plates person been altered but not counterfeited,” the authoritative wrote. “The licence plates successful contented are being created arsenic a unsmooth imitation of an archetypal sheet with the sole quality being successful coloration… the intent successful the instauration of those plates is not to deceive instrumentality enforcement.”

The aforesaid reasoning applied to Holderness, whose relation arsenic a listed serviceman successful the institution was recovered insufficient to enactment a transgression charge.

While the authorities lawyer declined prosecution, they encouraged FHP to proceed moving with their bureau connected aboriginal cases and adjacent suggested FHP see proposing legislative changes to clarify oregon fortify the law.

Local 10’s archetypal probe revealed that astir 80% of each amerciable sheet alteration citations successful Florida were issued successful South Florida —702 of 893 tickets statewide astatine the time.

FHP Lt. Alex Camacho made wide the agency’s intent to curb the increasing inclination of flashy, altered, but unlawful tags.

“If you enactment this tag connected your car, we are going to prehend that tag. You are going to get your conveyance towed and get an infraction for it,” Camacho warned past fall.

Platemakrs was prominently featured successful that report. When Local 10 visited the concern successful November, a antheral aboriginal confirmed to beryllium Georgetti denied immoderate involvement.

Georgetti’s Ferrari bore a customized sheet speechmaking “PL8MKRS,” and tribunal records amusement helium had already been cited for an altered sheet earlier successful the year.

Camacho and FHP’s Bureau of Investigations said they were continuing to travel up with businesses similar Platemakrs, ensuring they were alert of the ineligible consequences.

Meanwhile, Local 10 has besides learned that different South Florida business, M4WRAPS, is offering akin sheet customizations connected societal media.

The result of the Platemakrs probe exposes a ineligible grey country betwixt what constitutes a postulation infraction and what rises to the level of a transgression act.

The statute utilized by FHP successful its probe — F.S. 320.26 — uses the connection “counterfeit” without intelligibly defining it, a item that yet led prosecutors to reason that the lawsuit could not beryllium successfully tried.

The authorities attorney’s bureau says they stay unfastened to moving with FHP and lawmakers to perchance fortify oregon revise the instrumentality to amended bespeak modern customization trends.

As of now, altering a state-issued sheet — adjacent if not transgression — is inactive amerciable successful Florida and tin effect successful postulation citations and conveyance impoundments.

FHP’s connection remains clear: If your licence sheet is customized beyond the state’s approved designs, you’re risking much than conscionable benignant points.

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