A man has received a jail sentence for pilfering over $210,000 from parking machines throughout New York, doing so entirely in loose coins.
James Bagarozzo, a parking meter repair technician, had worked in Buffalo for over three decades, servicing 1,200 meters in the city.
At 58 years old, he manipulated numerous machines, ensuring that deposited quarters wouldn’t fall into the coin canister, thus allowing him to pocket the cash.
FBI agents discovered approximately $47,000 in cash and quarters within Bagarozzo’s residence, with $40,000 concealed in his bedroom ceiling.
Over an eight-year timeframe, the parking meter thief utilized bags in his vehicle or his work trousers with deep pockets to transport the stolen funds home.
He would later roll the coins in wrappers and exchange them for paper money.
According to the FBI, the bank never questioned his actions as he claimed to have a friend in the vending machine industry.
Special agent Rob Gross from the FBI’s Buffalo division, who looked into the case, stated: ‘Half of his working hours were spent stealing from the city.’
‘He fostered such a strong rapport with the bank tellers that they ultimately provided him boxes specifically designed to hold $500 worth of quarters. Several times each week, he visited the bank with a $500 box of quarters in exchange for cash.’
Bagarozzo has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison, while his former colleague Lawrence Charles, who stole $15,000 in quarters, has also been apprehended.
Bagarozzo disclosed that he began stealing the coins out of concern for his ability to financially support his wife and two teenage daughters after falling ill.
In 2003, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, a form of inflammatory bowel disease.
