There is no freight charge.
Queens authorities accuse nine taxi dispatchers at John F. Kennedy Airport of participating in a “reprehensible” scheme in which they took thousands of dollars in bribes from taxi drivers to cut passenger boarding lines. did.
The Port Authority began receiving complaints in 2022 that some dispatchers were accepting cash from drivers who wanted to skip to the front of the line in central holding areas to more efficiently collect fares.
The payments were typically less than $20 each and were made in cash, cash or via CashApp or Zelle, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
Between January 2022 and February 2024, the nine defendants allegedly received bribes totaling more than $12,000. Four of the men each received bribes of more than $1,000 and are now facing first-degree felony charges of receiving commercial bribes.
“As if the challenges of making a living as yellow taxi drivers weren’t enough, JFK’s taxi drivers overcame greed and corruption to put food on the table for themselves and their families. I had to do it,” said Prosecutor Melinda Katz. Monday’s statement.
“We won’t leave it alone.”
JFK dispatchers oversee how taxis travel from central holding areas to pick-up areas at various terminals.
Dispatch personnel are required to ensure that yellow cabs depart from the waiting area in the order of arrival in a manner that avoids crowding while ensuring that all passengers are able to board a taxi.
This is not the first time dispatchers and drivers have been accused of trying to game the system at an international airport.
Federal prosecutors say Queens taxi drivers Daniel Abaev, 47, and Peter Layman, 49, each planned to charge drivers $10 per drink to skip the line. In February, they were sentenced to four and two years in prison, respectively.
The two admitted to working with Russian hackers to breach JFK’s taxi dispatch system and helping fellow drivers get to the front of the pick-up line.
Suspects in the recent incident include Giovane Johnson, 21, of Queens; Zwain Corey, 22 years old. Jairo Sarmiento, 23 years old. Satesh Sukrull, 34 years old. George Brown, 39 years old. Saeed Ahmed, 61 years old. Adrian Graron, 32, and Joseph Woodward, 56, both of Brooklyn, were also charged.
They were all arraigned Monday in Queens Criminal Court on charges including second-degree receiving commercial bribes, official misconduct and receiving illegal tips.
An arrest warrant was also obtained for a 10th, unidentified dispatcher, prosecutors said.
Nicholas Dayan, who represents Mr. Ahmed, Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Sarmiento and Mr. Woodward, said his clients are “hard-working workers” who make minimum wage from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Ultimately, I think this case will resolve itself,” he said.
Taxi and Limousine Commission Chairman David Doe called the profiteering “a reprehensible bribery scheme.”
“More than 90 percent of our drivers are immigrants, and many of them came here precisely to avoid this kind of corruption in their home countries,” he said in a statement.
“Public safety and following the rules is a precursor to prosperity, and that applies to drivers as well,” said Doe.
“If we learn that a driver is bribing dispatchers or driving illegally, we will revoke their license at any time.”
