Exclusive: Huntington grandmother faces hundreds more in tickets tied to custom license plates she turned in years ago
A Huntington grandmother is being told she owes hundreds of dollars in tickets again - all tied to a custom vanity license plate she turned in years ago.
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A Huntington grandmother is being told she owes hundreds of dollars in tickets again - all tied to a custom vanity license plate she turned in years ago.
In an exclusive interview with News 12, Beda Koorey says she received a letter in the mail on Tuesday telling her she owes the City of Chicago $600 in tickets.
“I go to the mailbox. I looked at the envelope. I said, 'This cannot be,'" said Koorey.
The tickets are dated from violations that occurred in October 2024 when Koorey says she was on Long Island.
Koorey says she sent documentation to Chicago in February showing that she surrendered her Star Trek-themed vanity plates, NCC 1701, in April 2020 and says she thought that would solve the problem.
"I sent them the documentation telling them this is not my car, this is not me, I don't drive,” she said. "I'm on the verge of tears right now.”
News 12 was the first to report on the years-long battle she faced with tickets tied to the custom plate she surrendered almost five years ago.
Her old plate number has been found on fake plates being sold online, and has popped up on different vehicles across the country, including in at least 12 states and Montreal, Canada.
News 12 helped Koorey dispute over $16,000 in tickets from New York City, and the coverage from News 12 resulted in the NYS DMV disconnecting her from her former plate.
This new collection notice couldn't come at a worse time though, as Koorey’s eyesight deteriorates.
"Now it's getting even worse and stress is not good. It's making it worse. My eyes are literally getting worse,” she said. "Somebody's got to do something. This can't be going on."
News 12 reached out to the City of Chicago to see what can be done to help Koorey, and we're still waiting to hear back.
