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Worker Caught Littering, Fining Storeowners

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There is trouble for a local sanitation worker who allegedly tried to blame local business owners for broken lights.

There is trouble for a local sanitation worker who allegedly tried to blame local business owners for broken lights.

Authorities say a tape proves it. The worker was reportedly caught breaking fluorescent bulbs outside local businesses. Then, officials say, he would leave a ticket for the business owner, fining them hundreds of dollars.

One such business is the HK Tea and Sushi Restaurant in Bensonhurst, whose owner was ticketed Thursday at 8:30 a.m. However, less than one hour before the video shows the agent breaking the bulbs.

Then, just a short time later, the video shows a sanitation truck pulls up and cleans the broken bulb from the curb. Two other businesses were also ticketed for leaving the bulbs on the sidewalk.

At a press conference on Monday, Brooklyn State Assemblyman William Colton is outraged the sanitation department would target store owners with bogus tickets. He is now demanding a full investigation.

“He gave a ticket to three store owners for the same offense without knowing that any one of them, without any evidence that anyone of them is in fact guilty of the offense,” Colton said.

Alan Sy owns HK Tea and Sushi and says he doesn’t even use fluorescent bulbs in his restaurant, but likely would have paid the $300 dollars summons just to avoid a problem.

“It scared me … I can’t believe that inside this city these things can happen,” Sy said.

But the security camera outside Sy’s restaurant proves they do.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Sanitation Department says “We are conducting a further investigation to assess all the facts.”

The business owners here are hoping that after that further investigation that they won’t have to pay those $300 dollar fines.

Authorities say a tape proves it. The worker was reportedly caught breaking fluorescent bulbs outside local businesses. Then, officials say, he would leave a ticket for the business owner, fining them hundreds of dollars.
One such business is the HK Tea and Sushi Restaurant in Bensonhurst, whose owner was ticketed Thursday at 8:30 a.m. However, less than one hour before the video shows the agent breaking the bulbs.
Then, just a short time later, the video shows a sanitation truck pulls up and cleans the broken bulb from the curb. Two other businesses were also ticketed for leaving the bulbs on the sidewalk.
At a press conference on Monday, Brooklyn State Assemblyman William Colton is outraged the sanitation department would target store owners with bogus tickets. He is now demanding a full investigation.

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8 Comments

  • Yitz

    Old practice, Its been going for years! Here we can really thank technology, Boruch Hashem!

  • mick

    thats’s surely one way to look ay things!!!
    i try to lokk at the positive, not forcing u to…

  • WhY Why Why!?!?

    What did the sanitation worker gain by doing that? Do the sanitation workers have a ticket quota to fill?

  • BIORUCH DAYAN HOEMES is what we must say

    they do the same thing with parkng meters if there is just a few minutes left on the meter they will ticket the car assuming the driver will not make it back in time to feed the metr or move the vehicle. THIS CITY IS CORRUPT.

  • sick of shmutz

    We have enough problems with parking tickets & moving violations. Hopefully, everyone keeps their areas clean. We need to teach our kids & guests to drop trash in the garbage cans on the corners, or take it home!