HOUSTON – A 35-year-old Dallas man, who had formerly lived in Houston, was sentenced to nearly 8 years in federal prison after conspiring with others to buy and sell thousands of fake Texas-issued paper tags for car sales when no cars were sold, according to a press release.
Daniel Rocky Christine-Tani pleaded guilty on November 29, 2023, to conspiring to commit wire fraud.
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A U.S. District Judge ordered Christine-Tani to serve 93 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard how Christine-Tani and others engaged in widespread fraud to use fictitious car dealerships to generate and sell Texas temporary buyer tags without selling cars.
Christine-Tani must also pay $3,440,625 in restitution to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
“The prosecution sounded the alarm that led to changes in Texas law which will make paper vehicle tags a thing of the past by next year,” said a U.S. Attorney. “Christine-Tani’s behavior was part of an epidemic of fake Texas paper tags that threatened the safety of Texans and citizens throughout the United States.”
“Through the sale of thousands of fake Texas temporary tags, Christine-Tani and his partners permitted criminals to commit crimes without fearing the consequences,” said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge, Douglas Williams. “This paper tag scheme enabled criminals to use fake Texas buyer tags while perpetrating violent crimes like drive-by shootings and armed robberies. FBI Houston agents proudly worked alongside law enforcement partners across the nation to dismantle this conspiracy which endangered so many American lives.”
Christine-Tani and co-conspirators used the internet to buy and sell the fraudulent state-issued buyer tags and exchange proceeds from the illegal tag sales.
At the time of his plea, Christine-Tani acknowledged he and his co-conspirators used accounts on Google Mail, Instagram, and Facebook to receive and deliver fraudulent buyer tags to illegal sellers and to make purchases all over the United States.
He also admitted he and his co-conspirators received and shared fraud proceeds via electronic payment services such as Cash App and Zelle.
Christine-Tani was taken into custody following the sentencing hearing.