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MTA Police Department Arrests Metro-North Employee Charged with Theft of Public Funds

 

A METRONORTH TRAIN approaches the Williamsbridge Metro North station on the border of Norwood and Olinville on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
Photo by Síle Moloney

The MTA announced on Thursday, March 27, that its police department (MTAPD) arrested a Metro-North employee and charged him with theft of public funds.

MTA officials said that on Tuesday, March 25, Tom Shabani, a Metro-North Railroad cashier and 24-year employee, based in White Plains, with responsibility for handling money received from ticket vending machines, was arrested and charged with grand larceny in the second degree.
Following an internal audit, they said an investigation by the MTA police revealed that in the course of his duties, Shabani had removed in excess of $206,000 from a counting room without authorization.

They said Shabani was arraigned in White Plains City Court on Wednesday, March 26, where he was released on his own recognizance. They said the case is being prosecuted by Westchester District Attorney’s Office Bureau Chief William Dyer Halpern and Senior Assistant District Attorney Renee Hassel.

 

They said Shabani is scheduled to be back in court on April 16. “After we uncovered this crime and following the MTAPD investigation, this employee has been relieved of duty without pay pending additional disciplinary action,” said Metro-North Railroad Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Justin Vonashek. “Metro-North has no tolerance for any betrayal of responsibility to safeguard public funds for the people of New York. We have taken steps to ensure security measures are reinforced.”

 

Meanwhille, Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace, said, “Any theft of public funds represents an extraordinary breach of trust, especially when such theft is alleged to have been committed by a public official. New Yorkers need to have confidence in their public servants. Our swift prosecution of this case should serve as a warning to anyone considering stealing from the public coffers.”

Shabani is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to [email protected] or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.

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