On the first day back on the job after a three-month hiatus, New Haven’s controversial Plate Hunter program hit a new speed bump: One of the companies the city hired to snatch scofflaws’ cars turned out to be a scofflaw itself.
A red tow truck, plate number 10519, was on the prowl Friday morning, as the city launched the second year of an aggressive tax-collection program. Using a plate-scanning device, the wrecker’s crew searched for scofflaws’ cars to seize.
It turned out the wrecker was eligible to be seized itself: Lombard Motors LLC, owed $1,064.73 in back taxes on the tow truck, according to city records.
When city spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga learned of the news from the Independent Friday afternoon, she said the company’s owner, Anthony Monaco, faced losing city work for a second time if he didn’t pay up.
The city tax collector, CJ Cuticello, called Monaco to notify him of the problem. Monaco rushed in and made the payment at 4:25 p.m., Mayorga said.
She said Monaco believed that the truck fell under an interstate truck exemption, when in fact it did not.
“Obviously we require that these tow-truck companies of course uphold the same law that ask everyone else to uphold,” Mayorga said. “If something is due, they need to pay.”
Friday wasn’t the first time Monaco faced being booted from the program. Last April, the Independent reported that the owner was double-dipping by opening a sham “new” towing company next door to his original one in order to get extra city business.
His business on Gando Drive had two side-by-side doors with signs for two “companies”: Lombard Motors and Anthony’s Hi-Tech.
At the time, Monaco claimed he was not double-dipping. Click here for a story and a video showing his response.
The city eventually removed one of Monaco’s companies from the city rotation and suspended him from towing for one week.
Friday’s snag was the latest in a series for the Plate Hunter program. State marshals were removed from overseeing program after the Independent revealed that one of them had waived a tow for a politically connected reverend. Citizens who didn’t owe any taxes found their cars towed due to mixups, too.
Previous coverage of New Haven’s towing and marshal industries:
Marshal Plan Would Spread Wealth
Marshals Lose Towing Gig; Foreclosures Next?
Mayor’s Favorite Marshal Rakes In $196K
DMV To Towing Companies: No Sealed Bids
Kimber Gets Off The (Towing) Hook
CJ has the support of the Mayor and therefore is invulnerable to exposure of his antics by NHI. Placed a call to the owner, indeed! But this time, the owner came down to City Hall on his own, and did not require a ride from CJ. Pathetic myopia while tens of thousands of taxpayers look on in disgust.