OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL - METROPOLITAN TRANSPORT AUTHORITY

BREAKING NEWS

Transit Worker Arrested for Grand Larceny

On November 17, 2011, William Grimaldi, a New York City Transit Track Equipment Maintainer, was arrested following a six month investigation conducted by the Office of the MTA Inspector General. Grimaldi has been charged with Grand Larceny in the Third and Fourth Degrees, as well as Petit Larceny and Official Misconduct, in a complaint alleging that he stole more than $6,000 worth of scrap metals and other materials, including diesel fuel, from NYCT during the past year. The scrap metal, it is alleged, was sold for cash to a scrap yard near Grimaldi?s home in Stroudsburg, Pa., while the other items, including the parts used to assemble a flat-bed trailer, were kept by Grimaldi for his own use. Commenting on today's arrest, MTA Inspector General Barry L. Kluger said: `Protecting MTA property is certainly a top priority for my office. Now that the arrest has been made and the case referred to the Bronx County District Attorney for prosecution, we are already reviewing the vulnerabilities of the NYCT's facilities, starting with the Westchester Yard, and will recommend improvements to the property protection procedures as appropriate. NYCT must ensure that internal controls are in place to monitor compliance with the law governing disposal of public authority property, and to help prevent the type of larceny alleged to have occurred in this case.`