The self-described "first lady of hip hop" has been caught using a fake New York City Corrections Department parking permit while on a downtown shopping trip. The permit was prominently displayed on the dash of the Cadillac Escalade that had brought Kimora Lee Simmons, 32, to the Barneys department store on Madison Avenue. It did not fool New York Post photographer Lawrence Schwartzwald who asked Simmons about the placard.

"I don't know," Simmons told Schwartzwald. "I don't know. I'm not driving!"

Although Simmons may have been on a business trip -- she is the CEO of Baby Phat, a hip hop fashion label -- it was clearly not official city business. Simmons also hosts a reality television show "Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane" on the Style Network and has her own Barbie doll set to debut in February. Simmons started her career as a model for the House of Chanel.

Improper use of permits is a significant problem in the parking-strapped metropolis. In this case, however, meter maids were not fooled -- the Escalade received a parking ticket.