That’ll show her.
As expected, last week a Nassau County judge sentenced Teodora Zaharia, a Queens woman from Romania, to nine months in prison.
Actually she will probably spend the time in the county jail since the sentence is less than a year and will be out in about six months.
Zaharia pleaded guilty in March to a felony count of grand larceny for being part of a gang of Romanian nationals that stole thousands of bank account and credit card numbers from Long Island Railroad ticket vending machines bugged with hidden cameras. God only knows what has been done with that information.
Sounds like a serious crime, right? Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, who is running for congress, agrees:
“Just as commuters should be able to feel physically safe riding the train, they have a right to feel financially secure as well,” she said in a statement. “My office, along with our partners at the [Metropolitan Transportation Authority], will continue our efforts to ensure that commuters’ valuable personal information is not used to line the pockets of thieves.”
Teodora’s husband, Valer Zaharia, pleaded guilty to third-degree grand larceny and fourth-degree conspiracy charges and faces up to six years in prison when he is sentenced.
Because of crooks like this, consumers in the New York area and all across the country now need to be concerned every time they use a credit or debit card for any purpose.
We applaud the police work that led to the capture of at least some members of this gang but we remain less than satisfied with the punishment.
