NYC cabbies charged in fare-boosting scam

Dozens of New York City taxi drivers have been arrested on charges of quietly doubling the rates that thousands of passengers should have paid. Officials say tourists and residents unsuspectingly overpaid hundreds of thousands of dollars in all.

City officials said Wednesday the 59 drivers were among far more who bumped their meters up to a higher  suburban rate when they actually were in the city.

Some 45 drivers were being arraigned on charges of scheming to defraud. Another 14 face petty larceny charges.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office says the cabbies stole a total of more than $235,000 during about 77,000 cab trips.

Meanwhile, Taxi and Limousine Commission Chairman David Yassky says officials are pursuing administrative penalties against roughly 2,000 drivers over the issue.