Apparently Miami-Dade county's Consumer Services division assigns operatives to go around supermarket parking lots pretending they're stranded and in need of a ride home. When some old man responds by offering a lift he's busted and fined 2 thousand dollars.
Channel 10 Miami News reports
A man who said he thought he was just helping a woman in need is accused of running an illegal taxi service.Miami-Dade County's Consumer Services Department has slapped Rosco O'Neil with $2,000 worth of fines, but O'Neil claims he is falsely accused."I ain't running nothing illegal," O'Neil said.
The 78-year-old said he was walking into a Winn-Dixie to get some groceries when he was approached by a woman who said she needed a ride."She asked me, 'Do I do a service?'" O'Neil said. "I told her no. She said, 'I need help getting home.'"O'Neil told the woman if she was still there when he finished his shopping, he would give her a ride. She was, so he did.As it turned out, the woman was an undercover employee with the consumer services department targeting people providing illegal taxi services.
"She said the reason she targeted him (is because) she saw him sitting in his car for a few minutes," said Ellen Novodeletsky, O'Neil's attorney.
After O'Neil dropped off the woman, police surrounded him, issued him two citations and impounded his minivan. On top of the fees, it cost O'Neil an additional $400 to retrieve his minivan from the impound lot.There are no prior complaints that O'Neil was providing illegal transportation for a fee.
Thanks to the Agitator
Channel 10 Miami News reports
A man who said he thought he was just helping a woman in need is accused of running an illegal taxi service.Miami-Dade County's Consumer Services Department has slapped Rosco O'Neil with $2,000 worth of fines, but O'Neil claims he is falsely accused."I ain't running nothing illegal," O'Neil said.
The 78-year-old said he was walking into a Winn-Dixie to get some groceries when he was approached by a woman who said she needed a ride."She asked me, 'Do I do a service?'" O'Neil said. "I told her no. She said, 'I need help getting home.'"O'Neil told the woman if she was still there when he finished his shopping, he would give her a ride. She was, so he did.As it turned out, the woman was an undercover employee with the consumer services department targeting people providing illegal taxi services.
"She said the reason she targeted him (is because) she saw him sitting in his car for a few minutes," said Ellen Novodeletsky, O'Neil's attorney.
After O'Neil dropped off the woman, police surrounded him, issued him two citations and impounded his minivan. On top of the fees, it cost O'Neil an additional $400 to retrieve his minivan from the impound lot.There are no prior complaints that O'Neil was providing illegal transportation for a fee.
Thanks to the Agitator
sounds like entrapment to me--she approached him, twice, and there's no info saying that he asked for money, how can that be a taxi service? i hope the guy fights it, although he probably had enough respect for the law not to. what a shame. sounds like the local taxi co is operated by the mayor's brother in law.