"I had to pay three-hundred dollars that I don't have," Jussen said. "I had to take it out on my credit cards."
He shelled out hundreds for a broken windshield and didn't have a choice.
It appears county employees within the Traffic and Parking Violations Agency decided they were above it all and allegedly used their positions to get rid of the tickets. Six workers, including a top administrator, were fired on the spot. They could face criminal charges.
All told over 100 parking and traffic tickets were dismissed. It's estimated they cost the county 25 thousand dollars. Authorities say assistant director Joseph Butindari made $97,000 a year and used his power to help his niece, his brother and himself.
"To me this is more than just waste, fraud and abuse. I think this betrayal of the public trust is worthy of a criminal investigation," Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said.
Executive Director Pat Reilly made the shocking discovery after a relative of a co-worker tried to get a refund on a ticket that was already dismissed.
County officials said from now on every dismissed ticket will be reviewed by a senior employee.
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