Governor Hochul Marks One Year of Largest City and State Interagency Task Force to Remove Ghost Cars

Through 73 Joint Agency Operations, Officers Have Impounded 4,073 Vehicles, Issued 39,850 Summonses and Made 902 Arrests

Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Bridges and Tunnels and the New York City Police Department (NYPD), along with regional law enforcement partners including MTA Police Department (MTAPD), New York State Police, Port Authority Police, New York City Sheriff's Office, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) Police, New York City Business Integrity Commission and U.S. Park Police, shared results of one year of operations following the launch of a multi-agency City and State-led task force dedicated to removing “ghost cars” — cars that are virtually untraceable by traffic cameras and toll readers because of their forged or altered license plates — from New York City streets. Since March 11, 2024, the task force conducted 73 toll enforcement operations, resulting in 902 arrests, more than 39,000 summonses and 4,073 interdicted vehicles for suspended registrations and fraudulent, obstructed or altered license plates. The last toll enforcement operation was held Friday, March 14. To further the regional approach in 2025, the police departments of Nassau County and Westchester County have joined the task force.

“The newest data released by our city-state task force on the removal of ghost cars sends a clear message: if you attempt to alter your license plate to avoid traffic cameras and toll readers, you will be caught,” Governor Hochul said. “The safety of New Yorkers is my top priority, and in coordination with our task force partners, we will continue to swiftly remove elusive vehicles from our roads.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “For too long, ghost cars and illegal mopeds and scooters have contributed to the feeling of disorder in New York City — but those days are in the past. We said we were not going to stand by while people break the law, defraud our city and endanger the public, and that message has been clearly delivered. Since its inception one year ago, our interagency task force between the City and State has removed more than 4,000 vehicles, wrote nearly 40,000 summonses and arrested more than 900 people — and we will not rest until New York City is a safer, more affordable city for everyone. I want to thank Governor Hochul, the NYPD, the New York City Sheriff’s Office, and all our other partners for their contributions to improving the safety and quality of life for all New Yorkers.”

From March 2024 through the end of the year, there were a total of 60 operations resulting in 734 arrests, 3,423 towed vehicles and 34,075 summonses issued. The amount owed from scofflaws stopped in 2024 amounted to $45.7 million in unpaid tolls and fees, judgments and debts. The most successful day in 2024 was Wednesday, May 1, 2024, on the Robert F. Kennedy, Third Ave, and Willis Ave bridges with 32 arrests, 770 summonses and 139 towed vehicles from an 8-hour enforcement operation.

So far in 2025, there have been 13 toll enforcement operations, which resulted in 168 arrests, 650 towed vehicles and 5,775 summonses issued, totaling an amount owed of approximately $4.6 million in unpaid tolls and fees, judgments and debts.

The primary focus of the task force’s work is to remove vehicles with fraudulent or modified license plates — and those with no tags at all — as these vehicles are often unregistered, uninsured, or stolen. While the illegal practice of forging or altering license plates is not new, the crime proliferated during the pandemic, with drivers masking their identities by using counterfeit temporary paper plates to evade detection. The fake “temp tags” appeared as though they were issued by out-of-state dealerships, making them difficult to verify. In some cases, vehicle operators in New York City used this cloak of anonymity to commit more serious violent crimes, including hit-and-runs, robberies and shootings.

As part of her comprehensive strategy on toll enforcement, Governor Hochul secured in the FY 2025 final Budget agreement an increase in fines and penalties for driving with altered plates, a prohibition of the sale or distribution of covers that obscure license plates and the restriction of DMV registration transactions for vehicles with suspended registrations for failure to pay tolls or failing to remove plate-obscuring materials. To encourage payment and equitable enforcement and better align with its regional partners, MTA Bridges and Tunnels also reduced fees assessed for toll violations on its major bridges and tunnels. These changes took effect September 1, 2024.

Latest Technology Combating Ghost Plates and Toll Evasion

Drones

In 2024, MTA Bridges and Tunnels deployed drones to assist in revenue recovery. Essentially an aerial license plate reader; drones are feeding video into the License Plate Reader (LPR) system to search for a potential Persistent Toll Violator (PTV) match. The LPR systems are preloaded with the license plates of those whose registrations have been suspended by the DMV and when the LPR system detects one of these PTVs with a suspended registration, an alert is sent to the officer in the patrol car who can pull the vehicle over.

Mobile License Plate Reader Trailers

In 2023, MTA Bridges and Tunnels’ internal security department expanded its LPR capability through the addition of mobile LPR trailers. These trailers are strategically deployed at B&T approaches maximizing opportunities to apprehend PTVs. Information collected from these mobile units also provides additional insight to patterns and trends that aid in data-driven enforcement.

Avoid Scams and Pay Your Tolls the Right Way

Toll operating agencies will never send a text with a link to pay tolls. While the overwhelming majority of motorists — over 90 percent — are signed up with E-ZPass, motorists that are sent a Tolls By Mail bill can pay online, by mail as instructed on the bill itself, via the Tolls NY app, or calling 1-844-826-8400. 

DEC ANNOUNCES SUMMER CAMP EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

 

Qualifications Updated to Help Grow Workforce

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced several positions are available for DEC’s upcoming Summer Camps program. Working at a DEC environmental education camp is a fun opportunity to gain practical outdoor, naturalist, teaching, leadership, and many other transferrable skills while living in a beautiful setting. 

DEC hires approximately 60 seasonal employees each summer to provide week-long adventures in conservation education for children ages 11-17. Now in its 78^th year, DEC operates four residential camps for children: Camp Colby in Saranac Lake, Franklin County; Camp DeBruce in Livingston Manor, Sullivan County; Camp Pack Forest in Warrensburg, Warren County; and Camp Rushford in Caneadea, Allegany County.

Available positions include: 

• Counselors; 
• Cooks; and  
• Camp Aides 1 and 2.  

Depending on the position, qualified candidates may earn between $6,300 to $10,300 for the season. Employment at camp begins in June and ends mid-August, and all positions include room and board. To increase workforce opportunities and reach more eligible candidates, DEC recently changed some qualifications and is now accepting applications from candidates that do not have prior DEC summer camper experience. 

Learn more about camp and employment, including available position details and required qualifications, on DEC’s website. To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and unofficial transcript to campemploy@dec.ny.gov. 

Statement from Speaker Adams on the Independent Rikers Commission 2.0’s Report on Closing Rikers

Following the Independent Rikers Commission 2.0’s report on the pathways the City and other stakeholders must take to close Rikers Island and ensure a successful transition to a borough-based jail system, Speaker Adrienne Adams issued the following statement.  

“For decades, Rikers Island has been a stain on our city and a detriment to our collective safety. The consistent levels of violence on Rikers and its use as a de facto mental health facility has made closing the jails not only legally required, but a moral imperative and a safety priority. I am thankful to the Independent Rikers Commission 2.0, led by Judge Lippman, for agreeing to my call for their reinstatement to work with both sides of City Hall to provide clarity on the pathway to closing Rikers. While success requires partnership and close collaboration from many stakeholders, our city’s mayoral administration must be willing to take concrete action steps and dedicate resources required to implement this blueprint, so another viable plan does not go unfulfilled. There is no shortcut to the work ahead, and there can be no discussions about the legal closure date without these types of commitments from the Administration. The Council remains deeply committed to closing Rikers and ensuring it is replaced with an effective borough-based jail system that is safer for all New Yorkers.” 

Two Consulting Companies and its Owners Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging Scheme Involving New York City Public Schools

 

Four defendants, two companies and its owners, have pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, for their roles in a bid rigging scheme involving budget and procurement consulting services for New York City (NYC) Public Schools.

On March 19 and 20, Transcend BS LLC (Transcend), a procurement and training consultant company, and its owner, Victor A. Garrido of Peekskill, New York; and Clark & Garner LLC (C&G), an educational programming consultant for schools and non-profit organizations, and its owner, Donald Clark Garner II, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty to a violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act.

“Defendants targeted the nation’s largest school system with their scheme, undermining the rights of New York City taxpayers to benefit from fair and honest competition,” said Director of the Procurement Collusion Strike Force Daniel Glad of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division and its PCSF partners remain steadfast in our commitment to root out fraud, waste, and abuse in procurement processes at any level of government, as we have since 2019.”

According to court documents, from approximately November 2020 through at least January 2023, Garrido and his co-conspirators, including Garner and C&G, created and submitted artificially high “competitor” bids to make it appear as if Transcend was the lowest bidder for consulting services contracts to circumvent NYC Department of Education’s (DOE) requirement for a competitive bidding process. C&G never provided any of the same services that Transcend provided. Rather, the co-conspirators rigged the bidding process for Transcend to continue to obtain lucrative work orders from New York City public schools without competing fairly. This scheme affected more than $707,000 in work orders to NYC Public Schools and resulted in estimated losses to the NYC DOE of $141,511.

Prior to forming Transcend and C&G, Garrido and Garner were employed by NYC Public Schools. Garrido was a business manager, providing substantially similar consulting services to various schools, and Garner was a former teacher recruitment manager

In addition, both Garrido and Garner agreed to pay restitution to New York State Department of Labor for unemployment benefits they improperly received.

“Victor Garrido and Donald Clark Garner admitted their guilt in scheming to use their companies to artificially control the bidding process for a New York City Department of Education contract,” said Acting Assistant Director in Charge Leslie Backshies of the FBI New York Field Office. “Garrido and Garner will now rightly face justice for attempting to personally benefit at the expense of the New York City taxpayers. The FBI will continue to enforce antitrust laws to ensure a fair and competitive bidding process for government contracts.”

“SCI is grateful for the opportunity to work alongside our partners at the DOJ Anti-trust Division, the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Labor, and the FBI in bringing this important case to justice,” said Special Commissioner of Investigation Anatasia Coleman of the Office of the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the NYC School District. “SCI is also pleased to recover tax dollars for New York City taxpayers. Bid-rigging is a serious crime that deprives the school district of vital funds and deprives students of a stable learning environment — and it is a crime that SCI will continue to tirelessly root out.”

"These guilty pleas underscore the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General's unwavering commitment to safeguard the American workplace from corruption and illegal influence,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan Mellone of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General Northeast Region. “We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to pursue those who engage in the exploitation of governmental programs within our jurisdiction."

The maximum penalty for bid rigging for individuals is 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine. The maximum penalty for corporations is a $100 million criminal fine. The fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Antitrust Division’s New York Office is prosecuting the case, which was investigated with the assistance of the FBI New York Field Office, the SCI for the New York City School District, and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

Anyone with information about this investigation or other procurement fraud schemes should notify the PCSF at www.justice.gov/atr/webform/pcsf-citizen-complaint. The Justice Department created the PCSF in November 2019. It is a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government – federal, state, and local. For more information, visit www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.

MAYOR ADAMS APPOINTS RANDY MASTRO AS FIRST DEPUTY MAYOR

 

Announcement Follows Recent Appointment of Senior Leadership Positions, Rounding Out Mayor Adams’ City Hall Senior Leadership  

   

Administration Continues to Advance Mission to Make New York City Safer, More Affordable, and Best Place to Raise a Family  

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the appointment of Randy Mastro as first deputy mayor. Mastro is a nationally-renowned lawyer; an experienced public servant with an impressive record in government service; a long-time pro bono advocate for social justice, civil rights, and constitutional rights; a leader of revered civic organizations; and a proven leader committed to diversity and inclusion. As a lifelong New Yorker, Mastro’s commitment to public service is highly regarded, and he will bring his decades of experience in both the public and private sectors to serve the city and its nearly 8.5 million residents.     

   

Over the last three years, the Adams administration has passed three on-time, balanced budgets, helped put more than $30 billion back into the pockets of working-class New Yorkers, produced record levels of housing, increased the total number of jobs to its highest levels in city history, safely brought New York City out of the COVID-19 pandemic, managed an international humanitarian crisis better than any other city in the nation, built unprecedented public space, and made the city safer at every level. Mastro will now help Mayor Adams continue all that work and do more, along with other senior members of the team at City Hall and at dozens of agencies affecting New Yorkers’ daily lives.  

   

“Our administration has broken record after record by building more housing, driving down crime, investing in public spaces, dramatically expanding access to affordable child care, managing an international humanitarian crisis, and so much more. We were able to achieve all these wins because of the more than 300,000 city employees who work tirelessly on behalf of New Yorkers every day, and importantly, because we have always had an impressive senior leadership team that remains focused on executing on our goals. Today, Randy Mastro joins the team as we work to double down on all we have delivered for New Yorkers,” said Mayor Adams. “Randy is a storied and impressive New Yorker with a track record of success in the face of some of the city and nation’s most challenging times. I, and the whole team, welcome Randy to our administration and look forward to working side-by-side with him as we continue to lead the city forward and make New York City a safer, more affordable city that is the best place to raise a family.”  

   

“I am honored to serve the city again and grateful to Mayor Adams for affording me this opportunity,” said incoming First Deputy Mayor Mastro. “Like so many New Yorkers, I love this city and want it to succeed. So much has been accomplished for New Yorkers during this administration when it comes to public safety, job growth, and affordable housing. I look forward to continuing to deliver a safe, affordable city and to improving quality of life for all New Yorkers. I believe now, in particular, is a time to heed the call to public service, and I am excited to answer the call.”  

   

About Randy Mastro

Randy Mastro has a long record of both city and federal public service. From 1994 to 1998, he served as deputy mayor for operations and chief of staff to the mayor of New York City. During that time, he helped tackle organized crime and helped shepherd through the nation’s most sweeping protections for same-sex partnerships, efforts referred to as a “legacy” achievement.

 

When he departed City Hall, the Daily News praised him for doing “the seemingly impossible,” noting “his contributions to the city he served so well will last a lifetime;” the New York Post lauded his “tireless and dynamic” service and “general good sense;” and The New York Times quoted a colleague describing him as “the administration’s conscience.”  

   

From 1985 to 1989, Mastro served as assistant U.S. attorney and deputy chief of the Civil Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he specialized in organized crime cases. During that time, he led the landmark racketeering suit against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and received the highest recognitions by the U.S. Department of Justice for that work, including the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award and the John Marshall Award for Outstanding Legal Achievement.  

   

Mastro is one of the nation’s most respected lawyers. He also has an extensive record of litigating cases on a pro bono basis, including successfully advocating for the families of fallen 9/11 firefighter heroes that were entitled to millions in donations, fighting for racial justice, protecting civil rights and academic freedoms, and helping to reopen houses of worship that were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

   

From 2016 until earlier this year, Mastro served as chair of the Citizens Union, New York’s revered, non-partisan “good government” group, focused on holding local government accountable and empowering all New Yorkers. He previously served as former vice chair of The Legal Aid Society and as a former board member of The City University of New York, the YMCA, Sanctuary for Families, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Hale House, and the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.   

   

Mastro has also taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and at Fordham Law School. He has authored and co-authored articles in the Fordham Law Review, the Federal Communications Law Journal, the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, and the Seton Hall Law Review, among others. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Yale University and received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.   

   

Mastro will report directly to Mayor Adams.   

Attorney General James Secures $975,000 from Auto Insurance Company over Data Breach

 

Root Allowed Hackers to Steal New Yorkers’ Driver’s License Numbers and Fraudulently Obtain Unemployment Benefits 

AG James Has Secured $6.57 Million from Four Auto Insurance Companies over Industry-wide Data Security Failures

New York Attorney General Letitia James today secured $975,000 in penalties from Root, an auto insurance company, for failing to protect the personal information of approximately 45,000 New Yorkers. The data breach was part of an industry-wide campaign to steal consumers’ personal information, including driver’s license numbers and dates of birth, from online automobile insurance quoting applications. The data thieves then used some of the stolen driver’s license information to file fraudulent unemployment claims at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Root does not offer insurance in New York, but the company’s security failures allowed scammers to gain access to New Yorkers’ driver’s license numbers and personal information. Attorney General James recently secured $5.1 million from GEICO and Travelers, as well as $500,000 from Noblr, for also failing to protect New Yorkers’ data. Today’s settlement brings the total amount secured from auto insurance companies for their failure to protect New Yorkers’ data to $6.57 million.

“When companies have poor data security practices, they put individuals at risk of identity theft and other fraud,” said Attorney General James. “Auto insurance companies need to make sure that the systems they use to store people’s data are protected to prevent cybercriminals from stealing driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers, and other private information. Today’s settlement should send a message to companies in the auto insurance industry that my office will take action to protect New Yorkers' private information.” 

Root is an insurance company that allows consumers to obtain a price quote through its website. After limited personal information was entered, the online quoting tool “pre-filled” personal information such as driver’s license numbers. Root’s system exposed full, plaintext driver’s license numbers in a PDF generated at the end of the auto quote process.  

In January 2021, Root discovered bad actors exploiting the prefill vulnerability. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that Root failed to perform adequate risk assessments on its public-facing web applications, did not identify the plain text exposure of consumer personal information, and employed insufficient controls to thwart automated attacks. Approximately 45,000 New Yorkers were impacted by the Root attack.  

The OAG investigation determined that the insurance company failed to adopt reasonable safeguards to protect private information. In addition to paying $975,000 in penalties, Root is required to enhance its data security, including by:

• Maintaining a comprehensive information security program designed to protect the security, confidentiality, and integrity of private information;
• Developing and maintaining a data inventory of private information and ensuring such information is protected by reasonable safeguards;
• Maintaining reasonable authentication procedures for access to private information; and
• Maintaining a logging and monitoring system as well as reasonable policies and procedures designed to properly configure the system to alert of suspicious activity.  

Attorney General James is a leader in holding companies accountable for having poor cybersecurity. In March 2025, Attorney General James sued Allstate Insurance for failing to protect New Yorkers’ information, causing more than 165,000 New Yorkers’ information to be exposed. In December 2024, Attorney General James announced a $500,000 settlement with Noblr auto insurance for inadequate data security. In November 2024, Attorney General James and Department of Financial Services Superintendent Adrienne Harris secured $11.3 million from GEICO and Travelers for having poor data security. In October 2024, Attorney General James secured $2.25 million from a Capital Region health care provider for failing to protect the private information and medical data of New Yorkers. In August 2024, Attorney General James and a multistate coalition secured $4.5 from a biotech company for failing to protect patient data. In July 2024, Attorney General James launched two privacy guides, a Business Guide to Website Privacy Controls and a Consumer Guide to Tracking on the Web, to help businesses and consumers protect themselves. In April 2023, Attorney General James released a comprehensive data security guide to help companies strengthen their data security practices. 

Universal School Meals: Governor Hochul Reaffirms Commitment to Providing Free Breakfast and Lunch to More Than 2.7 Million Students

Governor Hochul Urges Federal Government To Continue Support for New York’s Vital Food Assistance Programs

New York State Currently Receives $2 Billion in Federal Funding To Support School Meals

As a Part of Her 2025 State of the State, the Governor Announced New York Will Subsidize the Cost of School Meals To Help Address Food Insecurity and Ensure Every Student Can Eat for Free

Governor Kathy Hochul today stood with elected officials at Albany City School District’s Eagle Point Elementary School to recommit to her 2025 State of the State proposal to ensure every single one of New York’s over 2.7 million students can receive breakfast and lunch for free at school. This monumental program will build on federal support to help save parents money, address food insecurity among New York kids, and create more opportunities for students to succeed. Today’s visit comes as the federal government continues its efforts to slash vital food assistance programs — including attempting to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, threatening cuts to the Community Eligibility Provision in the National School Lunch program and eliminating over $1 billion in federal funding to help bring local food to schools and food banks.

“I’m fighting to make school meals free for every student in New York — giving every young person the nourishment they need to thrive in the classroom and putting money back in families’ pockets,” Governor Hochul said. “As the federal government takes a hammer to vital food assistance programs, we’re stepping up to the plate by filling the plates of those who need it most.”

New York State currently receives $2 billion in federal funding to support school meal programs. Governor Hochul’s proposal would build on that support to ensure that every student in the state has access to a healthy breakfast and lunch at school. By eliminating any financial requirements to receive this benefit, New York State will level the playing field and give parents back the money they would be spending.

Offering free school meals is a proven and effective way to help keep kids in school and able to focus in the classroom. Additionally, free school meals are estimated to save families $165 per child in grocery spending each month and have been shown to support learning, boost test scores, and improve attendance and classroom behavior.

The FY25 Enacted Budget included $180 million to help incentivize eligible schools to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, allowing all students in participating schools to eat breakfast and lunch at no charge regardless of their families’ income. The Governor’s 2025 State of the State initiative requires all school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic schools that participate in the national school lunch and breakfast program to provide free breakfast and lunch meals to all students regardless of their families’ income, thereby reducing costs for families and ensuring that no student goes hungry at school. Under this initiative, the State will pay the student’s share of costs for all meals served to students not already receiving free meals, expanding eligibility for free meals to nearly 300,000 additional students.

Statement from NYC Comptroller Lander on the USDOT’s extension for NY to End Congestion Pricing

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released the following statement after US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s last-minute reversal on Donald Trump’s unlawful demand to end New York’s congestion pricing: 

“President Trump and Secretary Duffy’s announcement that they are extending their arbitrary deadline underscores that they have no legal authority to cancel congestion pricing – and that this policy is here to stay. Despite the Trump and his cronies’ attempts to jam up our federal funding, New York’s straphangers, advocates, and elected allies remain committed to building a more efficient, accessible, and safer transit system. 

“In just three months, congestion pricing has dramatically reduced traffic, improved air quality, increased subway ridership, and generated critical revenue for urgent upgrades to subway signals and elevators—directly benefiting the millions of working-class New Yorkers who rely on public transit daily. Congestion pricing is a lifeline for the transit system that powers our city’s economy.  

“Illegally reversing this policy would create more chaos on our streets and in our subways. New Yorkers see through this political showboating and will not be bullied into abandoning cleaner air, faster trains, safer subways, and more accessible stations.”