Metro-North Cashier Smuggled $206K In Stolen Cash From Counting Room In Food Storage Containers

WHITE PLAINS, NY — A lucrative scheme to steal from the MTA will end up costing a Westchester man a big chunk of his retirement.

Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced on Monday that 61-year-old Tom Shabani, of Millwood, a former Metro-North Railroad employee, was sentenced for stealing an estimated $206,000 from the agency.

Shabani previously pleaded guilty on Nov. 24 to felony fourth-degree grand larceny.

In addition to three years' probation, Shabani paid $206,000 in restitution to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates Metro-North. He also agreed to forfeit 25 percent of his pension as a condition of the plea agreement.

"Corruption simply doesn't pay," DA Cacace said. "Not only did the defendant have to return every cent he stole, but he will be forfeiting a substantial portion of his pension as a condition of this plea."

"The people of Westchester County are entitled to expect that honest work is being performed by the public servants who keep the business of government operating for our entire community. But let this be a lesson to that small portion with ulterior motives: Your graft will be short-lived. My administration takes a zero-tolerance approach to public corruption."

Between 2024 and 2025, Shabani was employed by the MTA as a cashier at Metro-North's White Plains office. Prosecutors say he "repeatedly stole stacks of cash out of a counting room, concealing the money in Tupperware-style containers."

When Shabani's vehicle was searched, some of the stolen cash was found along with hundreds of dollars in lottery tickets.

The case was investigated by the MTA Police Department, and was prosecuted by Public and Law Enforcement Integrity Bureau Chief Dyer Halpern.