Thomas Howard Wambold pleaded with a state trooper who had pulled over his rig in March along the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Somerset that he was "just a working man," according to court documents.
This week, state police Sgt. Anthony DeLuca charged Wambold, 38, of 1285 Hunter Road, Derry Township, with committing one of the largest frauds in the history of the E-ZPass automated fare-paying system.
DeLuca alleges in court documents that Wambold used an E-ZPass, stolen from a New York trucking firm now in bankruptcy, to dodge $575,980 in turnpike tolls since the transmitter was reported stolen in 2005.
Wambold's 1995 Peterbilt tractor-trailer was rigged with a specialized electric pump system and tubing that he used to steal diesel fuel from other truckers and in-ground fuel tanks, according to DeLuca, of the state police turnpike detail at New Stanton.
"The amount we're talking about here is astronomical. I've never heard of anything near this amount (of fraud) before," said turnpike spokesman William Capone in Harrisburg.
"Usually, we're talking maybe about a few thousand dollars, but this is really unfortunate. And because of all the circumstances I hear may be involved here, we may never recover all the losses," Capone said.
Wambold was arraigned this week before Boswell District Judge Susan Mankamyer on charges of theft by deception, access device fraud, receiving stolen property, possessing instruments of crime and 1,241 counts of evading turnpike fares.
DeLuca noted Wambold could face fines of $1.2 million, plus restitution, if he is convicted of the traffic summaries.
Wambold was released after posting $25,000 cash bond and faces a preliminary hearing July 17.
A person who answered the telephone yesterday at Wambold's residence said Wambold was not available for comment.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by DeLuca after a three-month investigation, Wambold's troubles began about 8:30 p.m. March 24 along the eastbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, just east of the Allegheny Tunnel, when DeLuca pulled over his truck because the registration plate light was burned out.
"I'm just a working man," DeLuca said Wambold told him when he asked to inspect the steel rolls he was hauling.
When DeLuca asked Wambold how many rolls he was hauling, Wambold initially said two, but later admitted that he had four rolls and that his truck was overweight, according to court documents.
"Why don't you like me? Why are you doing this to me and my family?" Wambold asked DeLuca.
During the stop, DeLuca informed Wambold that his truck and load would be confiscated until it could be weighed the next morning at the state police turnpike station in Somerset. While the truck was driven back to the police station that evening, DeLuca said he noticed the hoses that ran from inside the truck to the fuel tanks.
Wambold said the tubes were unrelated to the truck's operation.
"I told Wambold he was lying to me because I can see that the hoses went from his compartment to the front of his diesel fuel tanks. I told Wambold that I believed he was involved in stealing fuel from other trucks," DeLuca said in court documents.
At that point, Wambold admitted what the hoses were used for, DeLuca said.
"Wambold shook his head and stated, 'Yeah, it's expensive,' " DeLuca reported.
DeLuca said it was not until he asked to view Wambold's toll ticket that he began investigating the E-ZPass matter. Wambold told the officer that he did not have a ticket because he used E-ZPass.
However, the device was not mounted in the truck cab but was located under a truck bumper and attached with wires, DeLuca said. Wambold said a trucking company paid for the device, but DeLuca said he could not name the firm.
"I just pay the company ... but I forgot the name," Wambold told DeLuca.
DeLuca said he traced the E-ZPass transponder through its serial number to the New York E-ZPass system. The company, Allied Systems Ltd. in Buffalo, reported the item missing on Sept. 23, 2005. However, apparently no one informed E-Z Pass, he said.
DeLuca reported the firm has been in bankruptcy proceedings since 2005 and determined the amount of fares Wambold allegedly accrued through the transponder's E-ZPass account. DeLuca said he matched the fares tallied on the transponder with shipping records and log books that were acquired from Wambold via a search warrant approved by Westmoreland Judge Richard McCormick Jr.
Wambold's alleged fraud stands out even when compared to E-ZPass thefts in other states. Earlier this spring, Delaware Department of Transportation officials heralded the arrest of its top toll violater for evading some $4,748 in tolls amounting to 633 violations.
Delaware State Police say if Frank Maier, 55, of Abingdon, Md., is convicted, he could face more than $30,000 in fines. Police said Maier also drives a tractor-trailer and evaded tolls over 33 months between January 2005 and October 2007.
Police nabbed Maier after photographing his license plates as he breezed through an E-ZPass Only lane without paying.
"But this guy (Wambold) is different from most of the thefts we talk about where people just go through without paying. This truck driver had an E-ZPass that no one bothered to report to the proper officials was stolen and, unfortunately, records show that he did a lot of driving from one end of the state to the other -- apparently free for 2 1/2 years," Capone said.
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