Nov 19, 2008 5:54 pm US/Central
Tow Truck Scam Victims File Lawsuit Against City
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
The City of Chicago was sued Wednesday for failing to take corrupt cops off the street once it learned they were soliciting bribes from tow truck drivers. The class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of all accident victims who may have been charged excessive or fraudulent fees by towing companies to cover the costs of payoffs.
The action follows 2 Investigator Pam Zekman's exclusive report about cops on the take, which featured a candid interview with a tow truck operator who has cooperated for more than a year with the FBI to gather evidence against crooked cops. He asked the 2 Investigators to conceal his identity, in part because the cops have not yet been charged.
A police officer and tow truck company working together to rip off an accident victim prompted the lawsuit.
"It was not just a bad towing company but it was the police department and people the police department hired to serve and protect that were not doing what the vowed to do," said victim Marco Maltbia.
As the 2 Investigators disclosed earlier this month, Maltbia and his wife, Chevon, trusted the recommendation of the cop who responded to their accident scene.
"He vouched for the towing company," Chevon Maltbia said. "He said 'this is a good man. We work with him often. I don't vouch for everyone, but him, he's good. You should go ahead and let him tow your car.'"
They did, then learned from the 2 Investigators report that the $2,000 charged by the company for a tow and one days storage was inflated to cover the costs of payoffs to the cops for the referral.
"That particular car, I think I paid him between $500 and a $1,000," our tow truck operator source said. "I got both cars from the scene of the accident."
"They took money out of our pocket and put it in their bank account," Marco Maltbia said.
The lawsuit points out that a police department rule prohibits cops from recommending towing companies to motorists, and a city ordinance they are supposed to enforce prohibits towing companies from soliciting businesses at accident scenes.
FBI documents filed in indictments already brought against three North Side cops say the towing investigation has been going on for years with cooperation from Police Internal Affairs.
Attorney Kennth Flaxman, who filed the lawsuit, said, "The city has known that these police officers were out there getting kickbacks from tow operators. The city could have taken steps to stop that. They didn't."
A spokesperson for the police department declined to comment.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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