The MTA, which is facing hundreds of millions in red ink, is pressuring prosecutors to pursue felony forgery charges against MetroCard benders and lock them up for at least a year, The Post has learned.
The authority wants to put a stop to wrist slaps and a revolving turnstile of justice that sees benders back on the street after as little as one day in jail.
MTA honcho Katie Lapp wrote to the city district attorneys this summer, upset that judges commonly toss out forgery counts, which carry stiffer penalties than fare evasion and other lesser offenses.
She and other officials met with cops this summer to discuss the matter.
“There was a meeting about how the charges should be prepared and brought,” said one law-enforcement source.
Still, not everyone’s on the same page.
“By law, it’s a misdemeanor. It’s petit larceny,” insisted one transit cop in the South Bronx.
“The court system looks at this as a low-level crime, so it’s tough for us to make anything stick.”
Currently, first-time fare beaters commonly face a maximum of 10 days in jail and a $25 fine. Repeat offenders can get higher sentences.
The crackdown comes as fare-beating arrests climb – cops arrested 12,678 people between January and September this year – a 15 percent jump compared with the same period last year.
The MTA is getting tough while dealing with looming budget deficits projected to climb from $436 million next year to $2 billion by 2008, prompting fare hikes slated for next year. Monthly MetroCard prices are expected rise from $70 to $76, and weekly passes from $21 to $24.
Felony charges were first applied in 2002, when a Queens judge ruled that a MetroCard’s magnetic strip was “a written instrument” – and altering it was akin to tampering with electronic devices such as a cellphone or cable TV.
In March, Mayor Bloomberg weighed in, ordering lobbyists in Albany to introduce a new criminal charge for card bending – aggravated loitering in a transportation facility.