STOCKTON — It was not President Donald Trump who was pulled over by the CHP this summer for failing to stop at a red light on July 22 in east Stockton.

It was Anthony Silva, Stockton’s former mayor, who signed the ticket “Donald Trump.”

The California Highway Patrol officer who pulled Silva over was not fooled, nor was he amused. Silva now faces a charge of committing the crime of “false or fictitious signature on promise to appear.”

Fortunately for 43-year-old Silva, signing the false signature is a misdemeanor, an add-on to his existing and upcoming trial on serious embezzlement charges. Still, Silva’s false signature could cost him maximum penalties of six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

Mark Reichel, one of Silva’s attorneys, managed to laugh off the Trump signature Thursday afternoon.

“Our defense is that he was signing about a different Donald Trump,” Reichel wrote in a text message. “It was not an attempt to impersonate the President. As well, we just wanted to make traffic laws great again.”

Contact reporter Roger Phillips at (209) 546-8299 or rphillips@recordnet.com. Follow him on Twitter @rphillipsblog.