On Monday, March 13, 2011 at approximately 4:20 p.m. Patrolman Nicholas Vaughan was on patrol on Galloping Hill Road near Lincoln Avenue. A random license plate inquiry of a silver Chevrolet Cavalier revealed that the registered owner’s license was suspended and multiple active warrants. A motor vehicle stop on Galloping Hill Road at Colfax Avenue resulted in the driver, Leoncio Marin-Ramiro, age 39 of Elizabeth, NJ admitting to Patrolman Vaughan that he was an unlicensed driver. Ramiro was not the registered owner of the vehicle. He produced a registration card and a Geico insurance card for the vehicle. Patrolman Vaughan noticed that the watermark on the face of the card was not a standard watermark and he made several other observations which led him to believe the insurance card was counterfeit. A check with Geico Insurance confirmed there was no insurance on the vehicle.
Ramiro was placed under arrest and charged with 2C:21-2.3(b) (producing a false insurance card). He was also issued motor vehicle summonses for 39:3-10 9 (unlicensed driver) and 39:6B-2 (uninsured vehicle).
A criminal inquiry of Ramiro’s fingerprints were transmitted via AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) to confirm his identity and an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) inquiry was transmitted to the ICE Law Enforcement Support Center which in turn placed an ICE detainer for Ramiro. He was subsequently transported to Union County Jail on the ICE detainer.