Action News reporter Brian Taff asks, "They say right now, you owe $48,300 on 678 unpaid tickets, on 23 separate license plates."
"So what? What's that mean," replies Faraco.
Angry over what he calls unfair parking enforcement policies, Faraco says he pays only when he's caught, meaning, when one of his cars is booted and that, he and his employees try very hard to evade authorities.
"The guy jumped out of the truck, and he was trying to drive away, and they were trying to get the boot on. And the boot won."
Far easier, he and many others have found, a little known loop hole, simply swapping out tags with too many tickets, for new tags, with none. While the tickets pile up, the tags tell a different story suggesting to Parking Authority Officers that the car, like the new plate, is clean and ticket free.
"They're trying to beat the system they are flagrant violators they're abstinent and they believe they are above the law," said PPA executive director Vincent Fenerty.
But the law, it seems, allows it. All anyone has to do to get a new tag? Simply say theirs was lost or stolen. Private tag agencies and PENNDOT, which issue new plates, do not uniformly check for unpaid tickets in essence giving scofflaws the green light. For a city deep in debt, it's a loophole that costs dearly.
"That's where the collections from parking tickets the net revenues go to the general fund of the city of Philadelphia and the school district," said Fenerty.
According to the list of multiple tag violators the top 25 combined have 199 separate tags, unpaid tickets on all of them adding up to more than $305,000. Not surprisingly, when confronted about those hundreds of tickets and all those tags most didn't want to talk.
Like James Brunson Jr, who the city says has 207 unpaid tickets on 33 separate tags for a total unpaid debt of $15,741.
Anthony Dowd didn't come to the door either. According to this memo, he has 434 unpaid tickets on 8 different tags, totaling $27,065 dollars. The list goes on, and on. Bob Faraco, who is tops on the list, seems almost proud not to pay.
Brian Taff asks, "So as a Philly guy, what do you make of the fact that your city now calls you its top scofflaw?"
"It's an honor," said Faraco.
A title he's likely to keep, until the city gets his cash, if they can catch him.
"What are you going to do differently now that you know you're on the city's watch list," asked Taff.
"Be more sneaky," Faraco said.
Responding to our questions, PennDOT acknowledged the loophole, but said they aren't to blame for those who abuse it, instead they pointed the finger at the Parking Authority for not passing along information about ticket scofflaws to them.
The PPA tells Action News they will now take the people on this list to court if necessary, anything to make them pay.
Regardless, the fact remains, until the loophole is closed, the system that depends on ticket revenue makes it easy to avoid paying the fines.
Those who have multiple motor vehicle tags and numerous unpaid tickets:
Faraco Grinding Services
21 tags
475 unpaid tickets totaling $33,785
Robert Faraco
2 tags
203 unpaid tickets totaling $14,500
New Century Travel Inc.
13 tags
174 unpaid tickets totaling $19,037
Anthony G. Dowd
8 tags
434 unpaid tickets totaling $27,065
Joseph Doe
12 tags
346 unpaid tickets totaling $18,976
William Nafis
10 tags
356 unpaid tickets totaling $20,681
Shirley T. Bryant
7 tags
283 unpaid tickets totaling $16,194
James Brunson Jr.
33 tags
207 unpaid tickets totaling $15,741
Kenneth Brockington
14 tags
205 unpaid tickets totaling $13,285
Thomas G. and Susan L. McShane
7 tags
168 unpaid tickets totaling $11,344
Lafayette Outen
6 tags
200 unpaid tickets totaling $12,324
Pat Demone
5 tags
223 unpaid tickets totaling $13,158
Frederick Tarsatana
7 tags
144 unpaid tickets totaling $10,498
Avery Copeland
9 tags
170 unpaid tickets totaling $11,851
Kesha Blue
5 tags
128 unpaid tickets totaling $8,244
Christopher Harden
6 tags
116 unpaid tickets totaling $8,323
Sharonda E. Everett
2 tags
91 unpaid tickets totaling $6,911
Some top ticket scofflaws with one motor vehicle tag:
Colmon Holmes
488 unpaid tickets totaling $28,749
Arnetta Johnson
370 unpaid tickets totaling $24,557
Sergio M. Claudio
298 unpaid tickets totaling $21,398
Alberto Galue
60 unpaid tickets totaling $18,355
Donagnew Builders
225 unpaid tickets totaling $14,670
James P. Fiscaro
211 unpaid tickets totaling $13,998
Sharwin L. Coates
165 unpaid tickets totaling $12,965
Faith Brown
157 unpaid tickets totaling $11,481
Abraham Vaughn
73 unpaid tickets totaling $11,075
