HOUSTON – A 28-year-old man has been arrested and charged with a felony after investigators say he illegally sold disabled parking placards through social media, according to the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office.
David T. Brown is charged with tampering with a governmental record, a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
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Records show Brown is out on a $10,000 bond.
According to Precinct 1, Brown advertised blue permanent-disability parking placards for sale on social media and altered them by adding driver’s license numbers and other identifying information to make the permits appear legitimate.
”It’s just terrible because people every day rely on that parking for mobility and to ensure that they can get out and not have to park far away from their location,“ said Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen. “We have to be more respectful and watch our disabled community and their parking needs."
Investigators determined the placards seized during the investigation were not assigned through the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office.
“These came from a legitimate tax office, not our local tax office. We already checked that,” Rosen said. “But it came from somewhere in the state of Texas.”
Authorities are now working to trace the placards back to their source.
“We’re going to track where these actually came from, and then we’ll notify that local authority to start an investigation,” Rosen said.
While Brown allegedly sold the placards for $150 each, legitimate disabled parking permits are issued free of charge by the State of Texas. Disabled parking placards allow qualified individuals to park in designated accessible spaces and exempt them from certain parking meter fees.
Detectives are also working to identify anyone who may have purchased the fraudulent placards. Rosen warned that buyers could also face criminal charges if they continue using them.
“So if you bought these for $150 and you’re continually using them, you can be arrested and charged with the fraudulent use of a handicap placard,” Rosen said. “There’s criminality on both sides of this. The best thing you can do is go ahead and destroy it or turn it in anonymously.”
The investigation remains active, and Rosen said detectives routinely monitor online marketplaces for similar schemes.
“I want people to know that we’re still on Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp and some of the other commercially available sites looking for stuff like this,” Rosen said. “I want the crooks to know we’re actually looking for stuff like this.”
Rosen also had a warning for anyone considering selling fraudulent placards online.
“You don’t know who you’re selling to,” he said. “When you show up to sell that $150 placard, it could be an investigator with a law enforcement agency.”
Anyone with information about Brown or the investigation is asked to contact Harris County Precinct 1 investigators at (713) 755-5200.