WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- Nine Metro employees threw their careers away for a mere several hundred dollars.
Seven station managers and two custodians have been fired and charged with misdemeanor theft involving a SmarTrip card scheme.
"That's good they were arrested and charged that's stealing money that's something you just don't do," Daryl Ponger said.
"Basically taking paper fare cards with small dollar amounts left on them and transferring them onto SmartTrip cards that were then resold or used for personal benefits." Metro Spokesperson Dan Stessel said.
Stessel said passengers would try to exit the gate but then realize they don't have enough money on their paper fare card. They would tell the station manager, who would then take the card and let them through the emergency gate for free. Police said managers are supposed to have the riders put more money on their card at the machine.
In once case, Stessel said the thief added $100 worth of fares onto a SmarTrip card and turned around and sold it for $60. The SmarTrip cards would appeared on Craigslist.
The crimes spread throughout the transit system in Virginia, D.C. and Maryland. Stessel said the cases are not connected. There wasn't a theft ring. There are cases such as the one at Union Station where the station manager and custodian may have schemed together.
The employees were caught through a computer tracking system that would indicate irregularities at the fare machine between July and October of last year.
"It's obviously corrupt at the same time there are probably bigger fish to fry in DC in terms of corruption instead of Metro, definitely a problem." Elsa Gibbons said.
Four of the nine employees had worked for Metro for more than 10 years. Combined they stole less than $10,000.
Metro no longer sells paper fare cards but they are still in circulation.
They are being phased out. You have until March 5 to use them up and then you have until June to transfer the balance to a SmarTrip card.
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