Cars belonging to the singer Taylor Swift’s entourage in Rio de Janeiro were confiscated by civil police on Saturday evening (18) for driving with tampered license plates in the capital Rio de Janeiro. The case is being investigated by the 19th Civil Police Station in the Leblon district, south of the city.
The information was confirmed by police chief Thaianne Barbosa de Moraes Pessoa, head of the Leblon police station, according to the report. According to her, an investigation has already been launched. Taylor Swift’s team has already released a statement. “The police are now investigating the circumstances of the incident,” said the delegate.
The case gained repercussions since the American singer’s arrival in Brazil last Friday (17). To ensure her safety, the singer’s team covered the license plates of several Jeep Commanders who were part of the entourage and took the team to the hotel where they were staying.
Removing, covering, altering or marking a vehicle’s license plates is considered a very serious offense and is classified as a criminal offense under the Criminal Code. This follows a law passed by Vice President and then Acting President Geraldo Alckmin in April this year.
If the police had been at the scene where the signs were tampered with, Taylor Swift’s team could have been arrested redhanded, as required by current law. If convicted, the penalty can be 3 to 6 years in prison.
Lawyer Juliano Santana, a specialist in criminal law, explains that the change in the law is not yet known to many people and still causes great confusion.
“Today anyone who has such a license plate can be arrested. It used to be a traffic violation. When crime started using a lot of tampered license plates, this change was decided,” says the lawyer. (Gabriel Vaquer / Folhapress)
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