A man got 7 years in prison, plus another 3 1/2 years parole after after getting caught jumping the turnstile. When the NYPD stopped him for farebeating they also found an illegal handgun, the Associated Press reported.
Cops said Ruben Sanabria, 37, had a loaded .40 Smith & Wesson. Once Sanabria hopped over the subway turnstile, the cops found the handgun in his waistband.
Sanabria pleaded guilty to second degree weapons possession and could have gone to prison for up to 15 years.
"The defendant illegally carried a loaded semiautomatic firearm into a public transportation system used by thousands of people every day," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said. "Preventing gun violence is one of my top priorities as district attorney, and I will make sure that this office continues to seek strong sentences for crimes involving fire arms."
Though clearly less severe, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has estimated losing up to $100 million each year from people evading their fares, Transportation Nation noted. MTA Head Joe Lhota worked with NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly to step up police patrols, apparently using uniform and undercover officers, to find people skipping on their fares.
The MTA is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S. state of New York, serving 12 counties in southeastern New York, with over 800,000 vehicles on its seven toll bridges and two tunnels per weekday.
