91-year-old Staten Islander ticketed thousands for another person's altered license plate
A 91-year-old Staten Island man racked up thousands of dollars in tickets and tolls on a car that isn't even his, and the borough president is warning people that similar fraud could happen in the future.
Janine Mulè says her father only drives to church and the store near his home, and she was surprised when he started getting tickets in the mail for unpaid tolls and traffic violations. The tickets were from all over New York City and New Jersey, and showed her father's license plate number on a different car that wasn't his.
Since no one stole his plates, however, why did he get the tickets? Prosecutors say someone used duct tape to replicate the numbers and letters on his plate. It's a problem CBS News New York has investigated for years, from plate covers to fake or stolen plates.
"In the thousands. I'm telling you, the stack was this big," Mulè said.
Mulè said she tried to get help from government agencies, but the process dragged on for months. He father's car was booted, and she had to appear before a judge to get the boot removed.
"I was crying. It was a lot," she said.
Mulè eventually reached out to Staten Island's borough president and district attorney. Friday, they announced they put an end to the tickets, and have launched an investigation.
"There is a suspect in this matter, and we're hopeful there will be a resolution and accountability for that individual," Staten Island District Attorney's Office spokesperson James Clinton said.
Borough President Vito Fossella, an outspoken critic of congestion pricing, says he anticipates seeing more cases like this due to the increased tolls.
"Don't be surprised if you see people trying to defraud the system and defrauding innocent people like we saw in this case here today. It's to be expected. Doesn't make it right," Fossella said.