Mechanic Stole $210,000 From Rigged Parking Meters

There is an old Malay proverb that goes something like this after translation – no matter how high up a squirrel scurries, it will still fall down to the earth eventually. I guess that would be the most apt way of describing parking meter mechanic James Bagarozzo who has gotten away with approximately 10,000 pounds (in weight, not the British currency) worth of quarters when he was working as a parking meter mechanic in Buffalo, New York. Of course, when a thief gets careless, greedy, or both, that is more often than not the time when he gets caught.

Rewinding the clock all the way back to 2003, Bagarozzo as well as his accomplice Lawrence Charles actually rigged old machines that did not come with separate coin canisters to drop quarters into, allowing him to access them later, turning it into his personal piggy bank. So far, they have looted approximately $200,000 for themselves, which meant the city was deprived of at least that much revenue before their indiscretion was discovered. The parking commissioner realized that the newer, credit card-operated machines actually had a higher amount of revenue compared to the old school ones, leading to a further investigation before action was taken against the two suspects. Ever since the arrests were made, revenue actually leapfrogged by at least $500,000 annually. Crime does not pay, people! This just goes to show how technology, when implemented properly, will help make things more efficient and secure.

Edwin Kee
Categories: General
Tags: Security