NJ Transit Conductors Arrested For Selling Stolen Train Tickets

The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Wednesday that four New Jersey Transit train conductors were arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into the illegal sale of stolen train tickets.

Wilbert Townsend, 47, of Woodbridge, Marquise Richardson, 40, of Newark, Robert Nemeth, 67, of Sayreville and Andrew Paloti, 46, of Iselin were arrested in connection with the alleged scheme.

It is alleged that the four collected tickets from passengers, but rather than canceling the tickets, as they are required to, they bundled and resold them to monthly passengers at a dramatic discount. The amount the passengers paid for the bundles of 40 tickets ranged from $100 to $200 – approximately a third of the cost of a monthly ticket.

NJ Transit tickets never expire, according to the ECPO.

According to the ECPO, the investigation was initiated by the NJ TRANSIT Police Department’s Fraud Unit with assistance from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Official Corruption Unit.

Townsend was arrested on a train at Newark Penn Station on Wednesday. Richardson was arrested in Princeton Junction boarding a train when he arrived for work. Nemeth was arrested at his home in Sayreville. Paloti surrendered himself at the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office in Newark.

All four defendants have been released. They are scheduled to make their first court appearance on Aug. 18.

All four have been charged with commercial bribery, official misconduct and theft.

According to the ECPO, all the men except Nemeth are currently suspended without pay. Townsend has been with New Jersey TRANSIT for 12 years. Richardson has worked for the rail line for 15 years. Paloti has been with New Jersey TRANSIT for 21 years.

Nemeth is a retired conductor. He retired on May 2 after 44 years of service.

The investigation is active and ongoing.