3-Year Sentence For Fixing Tickets
August 20, 2010 by Matthew212 · 9 Comments
Virginia Pagan, a 55 year old former New Jersey court administrator has been sentenced to three years in prison for her part in a parking ticket fixing scandal. Pagan, who resigned from her job in 2007 admitted that she “accessed court computer records to dismiss 215 tickets” worth about $5,000. Four municipal judges were also implicated in the same scandal.
City is Owed $100 Million, And is Ready to Get Tough
July 20, 2010 by Matthew212 · 10 Comments
In these tough economic times, New York City is trying to collect on the $100 million owed to it by various groups. The “most egregious” offenders are New York City property owners, who according to the Bloomberg administration owe the city nearly $40 million in unpaid property taxes. Next, come various groups who don’t follow city rules: businesses that don’t fix their sidewalks, real estate companies that don’t abide to elevator safety laws, etc. And finally, parking ticket scofflaws come in third, amassing almost $25 million in unpaid parking tickets.
Newark Red Light Cams Catch More Than 20k Motorists, Make $500k in 5 Months
June 15, 2010 by Matthew212 · 231 Comments
During a five-month period ending in April, the city of Newark collected almost $500,000 in revenue stemming from 20,769 citations issued from red-light cameras throughout the city. The cameras are part of a five-year pilot program to study “the devices’ ability to reduce accidents.” According to a spokesman for the Department of Transportation, a decision on whether to install additional cameras will be made once the city has a year’s worth of data to review. The $85 fine attached to each citation is divided between the city, state and private company (Redflex Traffic Systems Inc) which operates the cameras. Redflex gets $34 from each ticket, the state receives $11.50, and the city collects the remaining $39.50. “The administration’s main concern was the safety of our residents, not the revenue gain. A side benefit is that those drivers who do run a light are going to be fined. It’s created a recurring revenue stream the city can utilize for its budget. It’s not earmarked specifically for any one thing. But with the economic downturn, it’s good to have the revenue stream,” said Newark’s acting business administrator, Mike Greene. However, Steve Carellas, the state’s representative from the National Motorists Association disagrees, arguing that the cameras are merely cash-cows for the government. “If you put a camera in a place instead of fixing the problem at an intersection, you’re leaving something dangerous out there for the purpose of making money,” he said.
Ex-Jersey City Judge Admits Fixing Parking Tickets
June 4, 2010 by Matthew212 · 11 Comments
Wanda Molina, the former chief judge of the Jersey City Municipal Court, has pleaded guilty to “tampering with and falsifying public records.” Molina has allegedly confessed to dismissing eight parking tickets for a “close personal companion.” The Attorney General’s office has stated they will recommend a sentence of up to one year, in addition to probation. Three other Jersey City judges were accused of a ticket-fixing scandal in 2007.
U.S. Targets NY Parking Scofflaws
January 12, 2010 by Matthew212 · 13 Comments
Congress has introduced a bill that would allow New York City to collect on the millions of dollars its owed in outstanding parking tickets – by other nations. In all, around 180 nations owe NYC a total of $18 million in parking citations that are yet to be paid. Although in 2001 a bill was passed that called for aid from these countries to be held, in the amount they owed, the money never made it back to New York City.
