Video: 30 arrests made in fake parking placard investigation in NYC

LOWER MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) -- More than two dozen people were arrested Tuesday morning as part of an investigation into fake parking placards that have allowed drivers to park illegally throughout the city.

The arrests were made as part of a joint investigation with the city's Department of Investigation and Manhattan District Attorney's Office. (Watch raw video of their arrests in the player above)

Investigators said the defendants forged parking placards to park illegally or dispute previously-issued parking tickets, predominantly in Lower Manhattan, between March and September.

"Using a fraudulent placard to get around City parking regulations is no different than stealing any other City benefit or service," DOI Commissioner Mark Peters said in a news release. "As our investigation shows, luxury vehicles with fake placards were restricting access to parking for the disabled, creating potentially dangerous situations and breaking the law. In fact, some of this abuse was observed right outside of DOI's headquarters in Lower Manhattan

Here are more details from investigators:

"Sixteen of the forged placards uncovered during this investigation were purportedly from the following New York City governmental agencies: the Administration for Child Services, the New York City Law Department, the New York City Department of Health, and the Fire Department of the City of New York. Fourteen placards were purportedly issued by non-municipal agencies: the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the American Red Cross, and the New York Blood Center."

The 30 suspects were indicted by a grand jury on charges including impersonation and forgery. They were either arrested or surrendered, and were arraigned Tuesday.

Here's a list of names of those charged:

1. Richard Abrazi, 35, of New York, New York

2. Bibi Alladin, 36, of Queens, New York

3. Robert Blessington, 47, of Wayne, New York

4. Andrej Bogdanovs, 38, of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania

5. Robert Bojaj, 24, of New York, New York

6. Jon Camilleri, 37, of Monroe, New York

7. Richie Canizares, 44, of Queens, New York

8. Vincent Cassino, 68, of Staten Island, New York

9. Amarildo Cizmja, 34, of Queens, New York

10. Janku Ergys, 36, of Queens, New York

11. Ralph Faccilongo, 50, of Bronx, New York

12. Edward Fasano, 56, of Syosset, New York

13. Albert Feliz, 38, of Mamaroneck, New York

14. Yuliya Firaydonova, 28, of New York, New York

15. Michael Giaccone, 64, of Queens, New York

16. Giusseppe Giannattasio, 50, of East Meadow, New York

17. Mohamed Hassan, 36, of Brentwood, New York

18. Stanley Jacques, 46, of Uniondale, New York

19. Kieran Keaveney, 46, of Yonkers, New York

20. Rami Misbah, 40, of Bronx, New York

21. John O'Connell, 52, of Brooklyn, New York

22. Constantine Pardalis, 65, of Queens, New York

23. Nayeem Siddique, 39, of Brooklyn, New York

24. Richard Taylor, 32, of Brooklyn, New York

25. Antonio Vendome, 65, of New York, New York

26. Raquel Vendome, 28, of Oyster Bay, New York

27. Michael Wilson, 30, of Bronx, New York

28. Boris Zagrinichny, 35, of Brooklyn, New York

29. Lyudmila Zavlyanova, 46, of Queens, New York

30. Marek Zieba, 45, of Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania

The arrests came months after Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city would crack down on the illegal use of the parking placards. There are more than 160,000 legitimate placards on the city streets.