Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., and New York City Department of
Investigation Commissioner Mark G. Peters today announced the indictment of 30 people
for using forged parking placards to park illegally or to dispute previously issued parking
tickets. The defendants are charged in New York State Supreme Court indictments with
various charges including Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree,
Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, and Criminal Impersonation in
the Second Degree. [1]
“New York City is one of the most expensive and challenging places in the world to park a
car,” said District Attorney Vance. “It came as no surprise to my Office and our law
enforcement partners that alleged scammers have taken advantage of this industry in an
effort to park for free and avoid paying tickets. I hope this indictment sends a clear message
to anyone using a fake parking placard in Manhattan that this behavior is illegal and may
result in a criminal prosecution. I thank our partners at DOI for their work on this
investigation and the prosecutors in my Office’s Financial Frauds Bureau for ensuring this
conduct was put to a stop.”
DOI Commissioner Mark G. Peters said, “Using a fraudulent placard to get around City
parking regulations is no different than stealing any other City benefit or service. As our
investigation shows, luxury vehicles with fake placards were restricting access to parking for
the disabled, creating potentially dangerous situations and breaking the law. In fact, some of
this abuse was observed right outside of DOI’s headquarters in Lower Manhattan. DOI has
issued an investigative summary describing the investigation and will continue to work with
its partners to ensure these fake permits are taken off the streets.”
New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg: “I applaud
DOI for its investigation and the DA’s office for these indictments. NYC DOT is doing its
share to address placard abuse by pursuing electronic real-time verification, training law
enforcement on the designs of legal placards and by enhancing our holograms. We look
forward to a continued crackdown on this activity.”
According to the indictment and statements made on the record in court, the defendants are
charged with using forged parking placards to park illegally or dispute previously issued
parking tickets, predominantly in Lower Manhattan, between March and September. Sixteen
of the forged placards uncovered during this investigation were purportedly from the
following New York City governmental agencies: the Administration for Child Services, the
New York City Law Department, the New York City Department of Health, and the Fire
Department of the City of New York. Fourteen placards were purportedly issued by non municipal
agencies: the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the American Red Cross,
and the New York Blood Center.
Three of the defendants filed forged parking placards with the New York City Department
of Finance in an attempt to dispute parking tickets that were previously issued. Five of the
defendants used forged handicap placards that included their vehicle’s license plate number
printed on the placard. Four of these defendants never applied for a legitimate handicap
placard; one had previously possessed a legitimate placard, but had since reapplied and been
rejected.
District Attorney Vance thanked the New York City Department of Investigation,
specifically Special Investigators Dan Taylor and Christina Clyburn, Deputy Chief
Investigator Robert Miller, Detective William Orange, the NYPD Squad assigned to DOI,
Inspector General Jessica Heegan, and Chief Investigator James McElligott; the members of
the NYPD’s 20th Precinct, specifically Officer Zackary Bloomfield; the Federal Emergency
Management Agency; Director of Security Operations for the NYC Department of
Transportation Stefanie Panuccio; the American Red Cross, Office of Investigations,
Compliance and Ethics; and the New York City Office of Payroll Administration.
Defendant Information:
RICHARD ABRAZI, D.O.B 1/9/1982
New York, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
BIBI ALLADIN, D.O.B. 5/23/1981
Queens, NY
Charged: x Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a class E felony, one
count
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
ROBERT BLESSINGTON, D.O.B. 12/13/1969
Wayne, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
ANDREJ BOGDANOVS, D.O.B. 3/8/1979
Tobyhanna, PA
Charged:
x Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a class E felony, one
count
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
ROBERT BOJAJ, D.O.B. 9/26/1993
New York, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
JON CAMILLERI, D.O.B 9/30/1980
Monroe, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
RICHIE CANIZARES, D.O.B 7/6/1973
Queens, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
VINCENT CASSINO, D.O.B. 10/29/1948
Staten Island, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony,
one count
AMARILDO CIZMJA, D.O.B. 6/7/1983
Queens, NY Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
JANKU ERGYS, D.O.B. 10/3/1981
Queens, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
RALPH FACCILONGO, D.O.B. 2/14/1967
Bronx, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony,
one count
EDWARD FASANO, D.O.B. 12/20/1960
Syosset, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
ALBERT FELIZ, D.O.B. 1/30/1979
Mamaroneck, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
YULIYA FIRAYDONOVA, D.O.B. 12/27/1988
New York, NY
Charged:
x Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a class E felony, one
count
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
MICHAEL GIACCONE, D.O.B. 12/1/1952
Queens, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, two counts
GIUSEPPE GIANNATTASIO, D.O.B 4/2/1967
East Meadow, NY
Charged x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
MOHAMED HASSAN, D.O.B. 11/6/1980
Brentwood, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony,
one count
STANLEY JACQUES, D.O.B. 1/21/1971
Uniondale, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
KIERAN KEAVENEY, D.O.B. 9/9/1971
Yonkers, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
RAMI MISBAH, D.O.B. 11/27/1976
Bronx, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
JOHN O’CONNELL, D.O.B. 6/4/1965
Brooklyn, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, two counts
CONSTANTINE PARDALIS, D.O.B. 4/23/1952
Queens, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
NAYEEM SIDDIQUE, D.O.B. 3/1/1978
Brooklyn, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
RICHARD TAYLOR, D.O.B. 3/25/1985 Brookyln, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
ANTONIO VENDOME, D.O.B. 4/20/1952
New York, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
RAQUEL VENDOME, D.O.B. 4/23/1989
Oyster Bay, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
MICHAEL WILSON, D.O.B. 7/4/1987
Bronx, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony,
one count
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
BORIS ZAGRINICHNY, D.O.B. 8/23/1982
Brooklyn, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
LYUDMILA ZAVLYANOVA, D.O.B. 7/18/1971
Queens, NY
Charged:
x Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony,
one count
MAREK ZIEBA, D.O.B. 2/20/1972
Mount Bethel, PA
Charged:
x Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony,
one count
[1] The charges contained in the indictments are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and
until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in
court.
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