Four New Jersey Transit train conductors were arrested Wednesday morning, July 29, and charged with commercial bribery, official misconduct and theft for allegedly reselling stolen tickets.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office alleges that the four men collected tickets from passengers but, instead of canceling them, re-bundled the tickets and sold them at substantial discounts to commuters.
Wilbert Townsend, 47, of Woodbridge, was arrested at Newark Penn Station. Marquise Richardson, 40, of Newark, was arrested in Princeton Junction. Robert Nemeth, 67, of Sayreville, was arrested at his home, and Andrew Paloti, 46, of Iselin, surrendered himself at the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office in Newark.
All four men have been released. They are scheduled to make their first court appearance on Aug. 18.
According to the ECPO, Nemeth retired from NJT on May 2, 2015, after 44 years of service. The other men have been suspended without pay. Townsend has been with NJT for 12 years, Richardson for 15 years, and Paloti for 21 years.
The following is from a release from the ECPO:
It is alleged that the four participated in a scheme in which they collected tickets from passengers. Rather than canceling the tickets, as they are required to, they bundled and resold them to monthly passengers at a dramatic discount. The amount the passengers paid for the bundles of 40 tickets ranged from $100 to $200 – approximately a third of the cost of a monthly ticket. The tickets never expire.
The investigation is active an ongoing.
Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor Walter Dirkin specifically commended the work of Detective Sergeant James Finnegan, Detective Michael Bavosa and Detective James Garrison of the New Jersey TRANSIT Police Department and Detective Alissa Vinci of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
