Notorious “Taxi King” Gene Freidman was arrested at his Manhattan home on charges he ripped off the state for millions of dollars in taxi surcharges, authorities said Wednesday.
Freidman, who has been subject to a slew of criminal charges, civil suits, and professional penalties over the past two years, has been indicted and will be presented this afternoon in Albany to face four counts of criminal tax fraud in the first degree and one count of first-degree grand larceny, said a spokesman for state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
Freidman failed to hand over more than $5 million collected in 50 cent surcharges on cab rides that is supposed to go to the state to help pay for the MTA, said Schneiderman.
“The ‘Taxi King’ built his empire by stealing from New Yorkers – pocketing money that should have instead been invested in our transportation system,” said Schneiderman. “No one is above the law, and my office will use every tool available to hold accountable those who cheat the system.”
Cops busted Freidman at his Upper East Side home Tuesday and took him upstate this morning to face the charges.
Earlier this year, the Taxi & Limousine Commission took away Freidman’s cab management licenses and he lost dozens of the cabs he owned to bankruptcy, but he still has a few dozen.
His cab ownership operations reportedly hit hard times thanks to ride-share apps such as Uber. Freidman, 46, who has been choosing to represent himself in recent court cases, is in police custody and could not be reached for comment.
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All garages that lease cabs must be brought to justice ,they overcharge cabbies and never give refund to drivers for over charging them on cab lease.they still charge same money to lease dirty cab for the same price as of 2005!!!Drivers are going bankrupted because of these stupid friedmanism that rippes off cabbies ..I lost my 3000$ deposit back in 2004 ,he never got back my money ,I never got the 60$ weekly addvertising for the crown vic I bought from him that time ,,I had small accident just bumber to bumber and wasnt my fault and had police report but he took my 3000$ deposit …I believe he would have charge insurance too.Taxi business must be shut down.
None of the drivers from both side are happy ,cabbies and ubers dont make any money .the driver incomevin nyc has been crushed to death !there will be no driver ! out there in the near future.you can not make a living driving uber or cab ,,it’s over
Dispatchers are making complaints against cabbies for cell phone violations. You get a letter in the mail.
Uber is one big crooked scam.
World says Uber is TAXI, but TLC says Uber is “not”. Why does TLC lie so much? How long can TLC lie??
Because the fix is in. That should have been obvious when yassky and chiabrra jumped ship the day after bloomberg left office. Think they knew something?
how much money the tlc makes..there are now 150k drivers it is 150000 Drivers each pay 250$ for renewal and 1000$ per year for each ticket.
150000 x 1000/one year x3
plus
150000 x 250$
=37500,000 + 450,000,000$
=487,500,000,000$
so tlc makes 488 billion dollars in 3 years period.
how much money uber make??
uber has 100,000 drivers in nyc.
each driver generate 1200$ a week gor uber .
uber makes 120,000,000&
uber makes in nyc 120 million $ week.
uber makes 120 million x 56 a. year=6720 million $ a year..
yellow cab driver makes 450$ a week but goes home with gum disease and liver damage high blood pressure and hearth problems and sleeping disorder ….
that is why the city keep putting more taxis on the street without medallion, so, that way, they can continue making more money, you see, it makes sense for them, and that is why Uber keep winning and winning. that is the city’s dream, City’s corruption. TLC is just doing what they where ask to do, we shouldn’t blame them, it is the City leaders.
Find the source of the smell in your camery GARAGE NEVER CARE FOR YOUR HEALTH ! f you dont change the air cabir filter your langs will be damage within a month and you gonna develop animia and oxygene starvation and develop bad Asma that can put you in coma right in the spit while driving.
This is too bad. one million medallion and they cant change air filter for 7 years. this why I quit driving yellow never ever for ever get into yellow driver seat ever no matter what….bey
Uber or yellow I think the job of driving as a career will eventually be over because of low income and self driving vehicles
It is over already.
Your ideology is marvelous sometimes when those politicians dradition called as immigrants they’re perfectly rights is not a discrimination words but is a messages been send out to every had workers as rights to expression ourselves no one ever been concerned we have rights like everyone we don’t haved a leader whit a good outstanding issues for ours futures No visions i thing every drivers should look @ mirror and thing twice do we have a future driving a taxi cab in city New York after TLC monopoly by uber lyft what’s is the next zeros for drivers now if those politicians went to help. Cab industry imposed regulations uber and Lyft not to punishment they drivers on competition prices end 25% charges collection from driver againt shareride must stop because drivers don’t benefits nothing’s they’d supremacy and they’d benefits they’re many issues not doing we’ll drivers need a laywer from department labor and humainsrigh classes actions lawsuits against New York City and TLC /UBer and LYFT my be difference solutions we must’ve tried I’m very happy too share my visions whit you keep contact Joseph
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