Uber Drivers Charged With Licensing Violations

Several Uber drivers recently went to court facing misdemeanor charges for licensing violations in East Hampton after the Town cracked down on the ridesharing service earlier this month.

The Town announced on June 5 that Uber, a mobile app that connects riders with a taxi, private car or rideshare from their mobile phone, has suspended operations in East Hampton immediately.

A total of 23 drivers were charged and if found guilty, they could face either a year of jail time or a fine of up to $1,000.

The arraignment was scheduled for Monday in East Hampton Town Justice Court. Only six of the drivers pleaded not guilty to the charges due to ’incomplete paperwork’, and after two of the drivers did not attend the arraignment due to sickness, according to a Newsday report.

The six that were arraigned included: Sadikov Parviz of Brooklyn, Erkin Alver of West New York, N.J., Gain Guresci of New York, James Kelleher of Brooklyn, Cengiz Yildrim of Cliffside Park, and Cemal Pehliva of Brookhaven, according to The East Hampton Star.

Those who did not enter their pleas have been scheduled for July 20 except for one driver who will be out of town in that time and has been scheduled for June 29, according to Newsday.

Uber’s lawyer, Daniel G. Rodgers, of Southampton, told The East Hampton Star that so far, only about 20 drivers charged were offered a deal by the town.

“Plead guilty as charged, serve 30 days in jail, and receive a permanent criminal record,” is the only plea offered by the town so far Rodgers said on Tuesday before the arraignments at the courthouse according to The East Hampton Star.

East Hampton revised its taxi code last summer to require every driver to operate under a license with an East Hampton address.

“What they’re requiring is basically impossible to fulfill unless you’re a local taxi company,” Rodgers told Business Insider.

Earlier this month, Uber executives met with town officials and lawyers who said if they agreed to suspend operations the drivers would have reduced charges and just pay a fine, according to 27east.

However, Uber said the town backed out after users began contacting officials to disagree with the local taxi licensing laws, according to 27east.

“Part of the reason we pulled out was that we were told if we left the charges against the drivers would be dropped,” Uber spokesman Mathew Wing told 27east. “The town prosecutor [is] trying to pursue the maximum penalty under the law, which would make it a misdemeanor. They face up to a year in jail for ostensibly not having a business office.”

Larry Cantwell, East Hampton Town Supervisor, said that there was three possible resolutions for Uber to station cars within the town and still comply with the local law, according to The East Hampton Star:

• Uber could open a home office in the town so drivers who want to work in the town could register their cars with the office address. The drivers could chose to own or lease their cars which would allow them to operate as a separate business for hire, and each would apply for their own business license.
• Uber could form a partnership with a local company that is already licensed and headquartered in East Hampton.
• Uber could recruit East Hampton residents as Uber owners or drivers.

Cantwell also said that the regulations governing cars for hire specifically allow an owner of one or two cars to run the business using his or her home address, as long as it is in the town, according to The East Hampton Star.