Jesse Coburn
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Jesse Coburn is an investigative reporter at Streetsblog. His series on the black market for temporary license plates led to enacted or proposed laws in three states and won the George Polk Award. The series was also a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. His work has also received awards from IRE, the Overseas Press Club Foundation, the Sidney Hillman Foundation, the Deadline Club, the Sigma Awards, and the Silurians Press Club. He has also written for the New York Times, Harper’s, Cabinet, the Baltimore Sun, Motherboard, Foreign Policy, Hell Gate, and other publications. Previously he was a reporter at Newsday and an editor at ARCH+. Contact him at jesse@streetsblog.org or on Twitter.
New Jersey Rolls Out New Temporary License Plates to Fight Black Market Exposed by Streetsblog
The state released few details about the new temporary tags, but noted they'll be reformatted and printed on different paper to "prevent and reduce fraud."
Legislation Introduced in Georgia to Fight Temporary License Plate Fraud
The bill is the most significant effort yet to stop the flow of fraudulent paper tags from Georgia car dealerships to New York City streets.
No License Plates? No Problem! Scofflaw Drivers Remove Tags Yet Rarely Get Caught
Cars without license plates are everywhere in New York City, but the Adams administration is failing to crack down on them, allowing tens of thousands of drivers to dodge accountability in the city each year.
New Jersey Lawmakers Pass Major Reforms to Combat Temporary License Plate Fraud
The vote follows a Streetsblog investigation that uncovered widespread misuse of the state's temporary license plates, with car dealers selling the tags illegally to drivers using them to avoid accountability on the road.
Dozens of Car Dealers Shut Down for Temporary License Plate Fraud Following Streetsblog Investigation
And seven dealerships identified by Streetsblog as possible temp tag sellers are now under criminal investigation, officials said.
Top NJ Lawmaker Proposes Major Reforms to Fight Temporary License Plate Fraud
The new legislation follows a seven-month Streetsblog investigation that found widespread fraud involving temp tags, with car dealers abusing weak state regulations and selling paper plates illegally to drivers using them to evade accountability on the road.