Two brothers from New York are facing charges after they allegedly pretended to be each other during a recent encounter with authorities. The two men, ages 24 and 25, reportedly attempted to switch identities during a traffic stop on Feb. 6. The duo may have had a good reason for allegedly posing as each other; the brother who was behind the wheel when they were stopped had been subject to several driver’s license suspensions. Neither of the men were able to produce identification documents during the encounter.

The alleged driver in the case had received 28 license suspensions, with 24 of them occurring on 12 separate dates. The younger brother, who was riding in the passenger seat, reportedly had a valid New York license, but his list of convictions and suspensions had been cleared. It appears that, together, the brothers have received more than 70 tickets.

Authorities allege that this is not the first time that the older brother assumed his younger sibling’s identity. He is facing charges of felony aggravated unlicensed operation, since he was allegedly behind the wheel while the license suspension was still active. That driver is also accused of criminal impersonation and conspiracy. The younger brother is accused of conspiracy and misdemeanor false personation. Both brothers have posted bail and were slated to return to court on Feb. 13.

Driving with an active license suspension or license revocation can have serious consequences. Some people are facing losing the right to drive on a long-term basis because of these serious allegations. Defendants who are facing legal issues related to license suspension may benefit from consulting a New York attorney. These attorneys may be able to help defendants learn more about the implications of concurrent charges — such as impersonation — on an existing license suspension case.

Source: Times Union, “Cops: Brothers impersonated each other in Cohoes” No author given, Feb. 08, 2014