A 35-year-old Dallas man who previously lived in Houston was sentenced to nearly 8 years in federal prison for conspiring with others to acquire and sell thousands of fraudulent Texas-issued paper tags for car sales when none were sold, according to a press release.
Daniel Rocky Christine-Tani admitted his guilt on November 29, 2023, for conspiring to commit wire fraud.
Christine-Tani has been sentenced to 93 months in federal prison, as well as three years of supervised release, by a U.S. District Judge. The court learned during the hearing that Christine-Tani and her accomplices were involved in a large-scale fraud scheme. They utilized fake car dealerships to create and sell Texas temporary buyer tags, even though no actual cars were being sold.
Christine-Tani has been ordered to pay a total of $3,440,625 in restitution to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
A U.S. Attorney credited the prosecution for bringing attention to the issue of paper vehicle tags in Texas and leading to changes in the law. They highlighted the significance of this development, stating that the behavior of individuals like Christine-Tani contributed to a larger problem of counterfeit Texas paper tags, posing a safety risk to people in Texas and across the country.
“By selling numerous counterfeit Texas temporary tags, Christine-Tani and his associates facilitated a situation where criminals could freely engage in illegal activities without any fear of repercussions,” stated FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge, Douglas Williams. “This fraudulent paper tag scheme allowed criminals to utilize fake Texas buyer tags while committing violent offenses such as drive-by shootings and armed robberies. The FBI Houston agents worked diligently with law enforcement agencies throughout the country to dismantle this conspiracy, which posed a significant threat to the safety and well-being of countless American lives.”
Christine-Tani and her co-conspirators utilized the internet to purchase and sell counterfeit buyer tags issued by the state. They also exchanged the profits obtained from these illegal transactions.
During his plea, Christine-Tani admitted that he and his co-conspirators utilized Google Mail, Instagram, and Facebook accounts to receive and distribute fraudulent buyer tags to illegal sellers, as well as to make purchases across the United States.
He also confessed that he and his accomplices received and distributed fraudulent funds through electronic payment services like Cash App and Zelle.
After the sentencing hearing, Christine-Tani was apprehended by the authorities.
