Man arrested in Southampton traffic stop for forged plates

Police in Southampton arrested 51-year-old Edgar Jesus Herrera Alvarado following a traffic stop on Jan. 7 that led officers to discover forged license plates, a false vehicle registration and a revoked driver’s license. Authorities charged Herrera Alvarado with multiple counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument and aggravated unlicensed operation in the second degree, and issued him a desk appearance ticket for future processing.

The stop began as a routine traffic enforcement action and escalated when officers identified irregularities with the vehicle’s plates and paperwork. During processing, investigators determined the registration documents were not genuine and that Herrera Alvarado’s driving privileges had been revoked, prompting the criminal counts. He was not held on scene beyond the processing that resulted in a court summons.

The arrest underscores ongoing local challenges around vehicle-related fraud and unlicensed driving. Forged plates and false registrations can complicate law enforcement efforts, interfere with reliable traffic recordkeeping and, in some cases, enable drivers without valid licenses to remain on roads where they may pose safety risks. For towns across eastern Suffolk County, those issues ripple into enforcement workloads for municipal and county police and can affect insurance and liability calculations after traffic incidents.

For residents, the immediate impacts are practical. Lawful drivers may face increased checkpoints and verification stops as agencies respond to fraudulent activity. Motorists should confirm that their own plates and registration paperwork are current and legible, and be aware that driving with a revoked license carries criminal consequences beyond ordinary traffic tickets.

The processing of forged-instrument and aggravated unlicensed operation charges typically moves through local criminal courts after a desk appearance ticket is issued; that ticket directs the defendant to appear for arraignment or a pretrial proceeding. The case against Herrera Alvarado will proceed through those channels, where prosecutors must present evidence of the alleged forgeries and the revoked-license status that formed the basis for the second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation charge.

The takeaway? Keep your vehicle paperwork in order and stay informed about any changes to your license status with the New York State DMV. Maintaining clean, verifiable plates and registrations helps protect you from liability and prevents your vehicle from being inadvertently linked to criminal investigations. Our two cents? A quick check of your registration and license status takes minutes and can save a lot of trouble down the road.