Resistance can be futile when dealing with the New York State Department of Land Transportation.
A near-blind Long Island retiree who hasn't driven a car in four years was racked up with tickets all over the country, including from the Big Apple, all because she had previously driven, according to reports. It was because of the Star Trek-themed veneer she had. .
Huntington resident Veda Cooley, 76, gave up her old license plate, NCC 1701 (the name of the famous spaceship from the popular science fiction series), in early 2020 because her eyesight was failing.
However, that vanity plate was chosen by her ex-husband, causing endless anxiety as the driver bought the same fake novelty plate for his car and ended up with a driving violation. News 12 reported.
These tickets are mistakenly sent to Cooley, and she becomes desperate for a solution.
“The postman is coming. 'I got another ticket,'” she told the station earlier this month.
“I get calls from all over the country.”
She received tickets from as far away as Montreal, Canada, even though she had never been there.
The grandmother was also fined $16,500 by New York City for a driving violation she did not commit.
“I can't even sleep. All I see is a car ticket with my license plate on it,” Cooley told News 12. “This makes me feel sick every day.”
“The reason I'm blaming the Land Transport Authority is because these people are entering numbers and it's coming back to me,” she added.
Fake Star Trek cosmetic plates can be easily purchased from e-commerce companies such as Amazon and exchanged for genuine plates.
But the nightmare may soon be over after a lawyer volunteers to help the elderly woman.
Kenneth Molins told CBS 2 Cooley was still attached to the Star Trek plate, even though the state Department of Transportation said her name and address had been removed.
After contacting top state officials, Molins told Cooley on Thursday that the issue should now be resolved.
The city treasury department, which collects parking and red camera ticket fines, has vowed to work with Cooley to dump 194 Big Apple tickets on Long Islanders.
Meanwhile, Molins is working to get Cooley to hand over hundreds of tickets issued in 23 other states.
“I'm going to cut a hole in my yard and bury these documents and hundreds of tickets,” Cooley told CBS 2.
