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Cabbie Accused Of Charging Bogus Toll Fees Within Manhattan

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A New York City cab driver has been accused of taking passengers for a ride.

Driver Emad Wanass got his taxi license back in December, but the Taxi And Limousine Commission has learned that since then he has allegedly charged nearly 300 riders for tolls on fares within Manhattan.

The added fee averaged about $2.28 per fare.

1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reports

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At a hearing at the TLC offices in Queens, a prosecutor jokingly asked if a water main break would count as crossing a body of water within the borough.

The administrative judge noted that there are no rivers or noticeable bodies of water in Manhattan.

"I know there are none but obviously we have to defend what they're presenting against the respondent. And what they presented was data," the cab driver's attorney told 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa.

A rider complained about a higher-than-expected fare, causing the TLC to investigate.

Wanass' attorney said the new taxi driver should be cut some slack.

"I'm not sure how trained he was or whether or not he knew how much it would cost," the lawyer told Papa.

The prosecutors argued it could not have been an honest mistake because adding a toll to the fare is a two-step process.

Eleven other cab drivers are being investigated for similar bogus toll charges.

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