Serial subway scammer Charles Barry was arrested for the 141st time after he tricked a tourist into forking over a wad of cash in exchange for an expired MetroCard, law enforcement officials and sources said Wednesday.
In his most recent bust, Barry allegedly conned a 23-year-old tourist by introducing himself as an MTA worker –– a move he often pulls, police said.
The out-of-towner was buying a MetroCard at a vending machine at the 42 Street-Bryant Park Station around 10:50 a.m. when Barry duped her out of $32, cops said.
Barry had already fled by the time the rube realized the card was bogus, according to cops.
The 56-year-old swindler is known to police for scamming straphangers into swapping hard dough for faulty subway cards, police said.
Cops caught up to Barry and arrested him at 59th Street and Broadway for the complaint made against him that morning.
Prior to this arrest, Barry allegedly schemed $20 from a 73-year-old woman trying to refill her reduced-fare senior citizen pass Feb. 4, according to police, who added that Barry has been pulling this subway scheme since March 2006.
Barry has been arrested 141 times — including 21 sealed arrests, law enforcement sources said. He’s been collared at least eight times for subway scams, police said.
Barry is facing charges for fraudulent accosting and was awaiting arraignment Wednesday.
“The NYPD is clearly hell-bent on pinning any wrongdoing on Mr. Barry. This most recent allegation screams of blatant profiling — consistent with the NYPD’s crusade to criminalize Mr. Barry — and we are prepared to fight these charges in court,” The Legal Aid Society, which is repping Barry, said in a statement.