DA: Throgs Neck toll worker pocketed $16G

A sticky-fingered toll collector assigned to the Throgs Neck Bridge stole about $16,000 by pocketing the difference between what he charged drivers and bogus lower amounts he entered into his booth's computer system, the Bronx district attorney's office said Thursday.

Travis Coley, 19, of the Bronx, ran the scam from Sept. 20 until Tuesday, the district attorney's office said. He is charged with falsifying business records, official misconduct, possession of stolen property, and grand larceny.

The district attorney's office said Coley was released on his own recognizance.

The most serious of the charges, grand larceny and stolen property possession, are punishable by a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison.

Coley allegedly targeted multiple-axle trucks. Officials said he told investigators that he would, for instance, charge a truck with five axles the correct toll of $30 and record a lesser number of axles - and toll amount - on his booth's computer system. Cooley said his take sometimes topped $1,000 a day.

If drivers asked for a receipt, Coley said he would give them a handwritten one for the amount the motorist had paid. Officials said his remarks to investigators indicate that on the day he was caught, Coley had in his pocket $260 in ill-gotten toll charges.

Investigators said Coley told them that he knew his plan was stupid and he's sorry, but he took the money to help out his mother and does not have the cash to repay the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority.

Coley was found out when data reviewed during an audit failed to match transactions recorded on the authority's surveillance equipment, the district attorney's office said.