US | cabbie New York Cabs Accused of Jacking Tourists' Fares Fifty-nine drivers arrested By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Sep 22, 2010 1:58 PM CDT Copied A taxi splashes water as it passes pedestrians while driving through Times Square, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008 in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) Dozens of New York City taxi drivers have been arrested on charges of quietly doubling the rates that thousands of passengers should have paid. Officials say tourists and residents unsuspectingly overpaid hundreds of thousands of dollars in all. City officials said today that the 59 drivers were among far more who bumped up their meters to a higher suburban rate when they were in the city. Prosecutors say the cabbies stole a total of more than $235,000 during about 77,000 cab trips. Some 45 drivers were being arraigned on charges of scheming to defraud. Another 14 face petty larceny charges. Taxi and Limousine Commission Chairman David Yassky says officials are pursuing civil penalties against roughly 2,000 drivers over the issue. Read These Next Trump, Johnson aren't happy with pick for Super Bowl headliner. SCOTUS sounds skeptical about law banning gay conversion therapy. Felix Baumgartner's death attributed to his own error. It's being called a disturbing trend: paragliders with bombs. Report an error