Driving with wrong license plate, car not registered or insured

[cleanbuddha]

Jurisdiction

New York

Hi everybody. A friend (not any more) was out of town for a week and asked me for a small favor to move his car not too far away from the JFK airport. I got the spare keys from his mom who doesn't drive. I had no reason to think it was a problem. One tail light wasn't working and a cop stopped me seeing it. The police officer ran a check on the car. It was not registered. The plate on it was not for the car. The car was also uninsured. I now have been charged with a list of violations and misdemeanor crime. This is a total nightmare I never expected. I don't think this way and would never do this and definitely not have a friend take the risk not knowing. I have never been arrested before and have a clean criminal record. This is so depressing.

I am looking up criminal lawyers and was hoping to get some advice on how to choose one. I never needed one so I don't know how. I am also wondering if anyone has any experience with this and can help me understand what I can expect while I wait to speak to a lawyer.

 

[army judge]

I have never been arrested before and have a clean criminal record. This is so depressing.

Based solely upon your revelations above, you were duped into doing a favor for the crook.

Good friend, relative, etc... the predicament in which you're now ensnared would have never harmed you, had you uttered the following, "Sorry, my good friend, I ONLY drive vehicles I own, or ones I RENT from reputable" rental car agencies".

I regret I can't assist you, however, I can FOLLOW you to drop off your car, and give a ride back to your place.

Your situation is uncomfortable, and will end up costing you some serious MOOLA. That said, the ONLY people I trust/trusted COMPLETELY were my mother, father, grandparents, and my spouse.

As former President Reagan said about Russia, "Trust, but verify". You had a duty to yourself to VERIFY the registration, license details, insurance, along with the mechanical standing of the vehicle BEFORE you put your hiney in the DRIVER'S seat!!!!

Hopefully you've been schooled and will know better should such a proposition is offered in the future.

NO, the most powerful word in the English language, offering you the opportunity to protect yourself, along with your assets!!!!!

 

[zddoodah]

Google "how to choose a criminal defense attorney."

This isn't the crime of the century. Getting your former friend to testify in your defense - or, better yet, to speak with the prosecutor before things go too far - will be important.

 

[adjusterjack]

I am looking up criminal lawyers and was hoping to get some advice on how to choose one

How to choose a lawyer.

You call up the first law firm at the top of your search list and say:

I have been charged with 1, 2, 3, etc. I would like to hire a lawyer to represent me.

You will then be told how much money you need to bring to the law office to hire the lawyer.

Easy.

 

[Tax Counsel]

You will then be told how much money you need to bring to the law office to hire the lawyer.

Easy.

It's not quite that easy. Most attorneys won't take a case until after talking with the prospective client to find out exactly what is going on. If the attorney does not provide a free initial consultation the prospective client may be told what the fee is for that and to bring that payment to the meeting. How much is needed to hire the lawyer and what the total costs of the representation are a very diffent matter. There is also no guarantee the lawyer will want to take the case.

As for tips on things to look for when hiring a criminal defense lawyer, Nolo, a company that publishes books about the law for the general public, has listed some of things you should think about when choosing a criminal defense lawyer. You'll find that here:

What to Look for in a Private Criminal Defense Attorney

When hiring a lawyer for your criminal case, look for someone who knows the local players, has experience defending similar charges, and is a good fit for you.

www.nolo.com

A bit of advice for the future: before borrowing anyone's car, verify that the car is insured and that you have proof of insurance in the car, look at the plates to see if stickers for the current year are on the plates, walk around the car and look carefully for anything that may be a safety problem, that would violate the state's vehicle code, or that may illegal, like illegal drugs. When you are in possession of a vehicle it is your responsibility to make that car meets what the state requires and to make sure there isn't anything in the car that shouldn't be there. If it turns there is a problem when the cop pulls you over, you're typically the one that will get dinged for it even thought it wasn't your car.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

The above are excellent "life tips" and I have to wonder about the age of those in issue. Your college and neighborhood buddies may truly mean no harm but it doesn't mean that they are free from being extremely careless and taking significant risks. Going forward, do not use blind faith.

@Tax Counsel provides great advice about vehicle inspection prior to driving. While we do not use an annual system of stickers to apply on New York State license plates, we do require a current registration affixed to the vehicle's dashboard. If that isn't current, do not get into the car. In addition, ask for the location of the insurance information card, which is often kept in the car's glove compartment. And visible anomalies on a car make it a police magnet for inspection potential.

As to what may happen - it is impossible for any of us to predict. I can relay the outcome of one of the very few criminal defense cases with which I assisted another attorney in Nassau County. A young person was going through a very difficult life issue which led to some self-destructive behavior that resulted in several stops and an arrest. There were over dozen charges including some misdeanors. The prosecutor offered to plea them all down to just a couple of vioations which, after a period of time, would be automatically sealed. The prosecutor and the judge had much more to deal with than sticking it handily to a person who had a clean background.

The advice given seeking a criminal defense attorney is good in two respects. First, it's only to your benefit to contact a couple of attorneys to determine whether they cover the type of case you have and how much it might cost just to talk further and what the process is moving forward from there - which as @Tax Counsel mentions might be to bring an amount to a consultation. Second, try to be as concise as possible describing the essential facts of your case and mention that you have no criminal record and include how many violations are misdemeanors and how many are just violations. Good luck moving forward.