San Francisco cracks down on misuse of ‘Disabled’ placards
SAN FRANCISCO, California – In a crackdown on the fraudulent use of disabled parking privileges, three residents were arrested for allegedly filing false documents with the Department of Motor Vehicles in order to obtain Disabled Person Placards.
Disabled Persons Placards are meant to assist the disabled to get around and have access to resources in the city.
In addition to blue zone parking, the placards allow qualified individuals to park in any metered parking spot, without time limitations and without having to pay the meter.
“It’s absurd that so many are willing to perjure themselves to steal parking spaces from the disabled,” said District Attorney George Gascón.
“Those fraudulently utilizing handicapped placards and parking spaces are on notice – they can be held criminally liable.”
According to court documents, the Investigations Division of the DMV received anonymous tips that Guobin Qin, age 29, Qiaoyun Chen, age 50, and Yessi Morales, age 35, had all fraudulently obtained Disabled Person Placards from the DMV.
The three defendants allegedly had separately applied for and received placards utilizing false doctors’ signatures and diagnoses on their applications.
Court documents state that in one investigation, defendants Qin and Chen (who are mother and son) led investigators to a doctor whom the defendants claimed was treating them both for “lung disease.” However, the named doctor claims to have no record of either defendant being a patient.
In a separate investigation, defendant Morales allegedly submitted seven fraudulent applications to the DMV over the course of four years.
Court documents state that those applications listed two separate doctors as treating physicians, each of whom has denied ever treating Morales.
All three defendants are alleged to have defrauded the city by submitting falsified documents in order to obtain Disabled Person Placards to which they were not entitled.
All three defendants are charged with filing false documents, perjury and commercial burglary. Qin and Chen are also charged with forgery. All charges are felonies.
Morales was arraigned on Thursday, July 3. Qin and Chen will be arraigned on Thursday, July 17, in Department 11 of the Superior Court.
The arrests came after an investigation headed by Department of Motor Vehicles Investigators Christian Hansen and Leon Jew. Assistant District Attorney Phoebe Maffei is the prosecutor assigned to the cases.
