Photo: Florida Highway Patrol
Sometimes, movies are inspired by real life and sometimes, they inspire it. One Florida driver looked to the classic James Bond movies when he came up with the plan to defraud the toll system.
Robert Craig Davis, 70, was arrested the other day and charged with organized fraud and petty theft, FLKeysNews reports. Authorities had been looking for him since this summer, when his red Chrysler Pacifica was spotted in traffic, using a plate cloaking device as it was passing through a toll plaza.
On 2 separate occasions, fellow motorists caught the device in action and both times Davis was going through a plaza. The device pulled up a black piece of cloth over the license plate, which effectively barred the toll cameras from catching the license number and bill the driver for the toll road.
Both videos were widely circulated on social media at the time, which got the interest of authorities as well. Both the Florida Highway Patrol and the Miami-Dade Police were looking for him, but it was an off-duty FHP trooper who caught him.
Lt. Alejandro Camacho noticed the Chrysler passing through a toll plaza on the Florida Turnpike with the license plate obscured by the cloth. He pursued the vehicle and alerted other troopers, and Davis was caught about 6 miles farther down the road.
“FHP troopers Vanegas and Dennis Gallo searched Davis’ vehicle and found a remote control device that was used to raise and lower the license plate ‘curtain’,” the publication says. “They also saw a SunPass transponder inside a static shield bag in the Chrysler’s glove box that was ‘not properly affixed to this vehicle’s window for use,’ according to the arrest affidavit.”
Based on the findings, Gallo ruled that “The actions of the defendant showed an ongoing course of conduct with intent to defraud the SunPass toll system.” Davis was arrested, charged and released that same day, after he made bail.
This type of cloaking devices for license plates aren’t hard to come by – and they’re not expensive, either. James Bond famously used one in the 1964 “Goldfinger,” when he needed to drive his Aston Martin DB5 through UK, France and Switzerland without attracting too much attention.
On 2 separate occasions, fellow motorists caught the device in action and both times Davis was going through a plaza. The device pulled up a black piece of cloth over the license plate, which effectively barred the toll cameras from catching the license number and bill the driver for the toll road.
Both videos were widely circulated on social media at the time, which got the interest of authorities as well. Both the Florida Highway Patrol and the Miami-Dade Police were looking for him, but it was an off-duty FHP trooper who caught him.
Lt. Alejandro Camacho noticed the Chrysler passing through a toll plaza on the Florida Turnpike with the license plate obscured by the cloth. He pursued the vehicle and alerted other troopers, and Davis was caught about 6 miles farther down the road.
“FHP troopers Vanegas and Dennis Gallo searched Davis’ vehicle and found a remote control device that was used to raise and lower the license plate ‘curtain’,” the publication says. “They also saw a SunPass transponder inside a static shield bag in the Chrysler’s glove box that was ‘not properly affixed to this vehicle’s window for use,’ according to the arrest affidavit.”
Based on the findings, Gallo ruled that “The actions of the defendant showed an ongoing course of conduct with intent to defraud the SunPass toll system.” Davis was arrested, charged and released that same day, after he made bail.
This type of cloaking devices for license plates aren’t hard to come by – and they’re not expensive, either. James Bond famously used one in the 1964 “Goldfinger,” when he needed to drive his Aston Martin DB5 through UK, France and Switzerland without attracting too much attention.
Miami driver cleverly avoids SunPass tolls on the Dolphin Expressway because Miami (HINT: watch the license plate closely)
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) June 20, 2018
h/t @__GoneRogue pic.twitter.com/SohQe1W1oi
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