theft

26 year old loll collector William  Bradshaw is up on grand larceny charges for stealing what may total about $75,000 in toll money at the PANYNJ's Staten Island bridges, according to a report by Stephanie Slepian of the Staten Island Advance. He was arrested last Thursday by PA police. They caught him failing to 'register' vehicles and pocketing the money.

Bradshaw confessed to detectives they said in court papers filed with the charges. He called his actions "stupid" and claimed he'd never stolen anything before in his life. He said he wanted to cooperate.

Friday Paul Violette, for 23 years chief executive of the Maine Turnpike, pled guilty to stealing between $150,000 and $230,000 between 2003 and 2010, telling a judge that he'd accept up to five years jail as the penalty. Violette misused his Turnpike credit card and gift cards and charged large amounts of personal recreation, travel, hotel accommodation and meals to the Turnpike. He also took cash advances and charged bogus unused leave.

Paul Violette, the 23-year executive director of the Maine Turnpike now has a criminal charge to face - felony theft of gift cards, travel, meals and other personal indulgences on the Turnpike's account. The AP is reporting this from the state attorney-general's office. A spokesman is quoted as saying the charge specifies thievery of "more than $10,000."

Apparently Violette is pleading guilty.

Two former toll collectors at the New Jersey Turnpike got sentenced to 364 days in county jail plus several years probation for working a racket with toll tickets.

Glenn Huryan, 55 and William Fagan, 62 dismissed toll collectors on the New Jersey Turnpike have pled guilty to "theft by unlawful taking" in Camden in south Jersey. A third fired collector John Fillipine, 58 has charges pending.

A toll collector was arrested for stealing tolls yesterday at the Leesburg mainline plaza in Lake County Florida. Seerajn Dhoray, 58, an employee of Faneuil Group, toll collection contractor to Florida's Turnpike, was charged with "grand theft" (see comment below) following two weeks in which his thievery was observed.