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DC Parking Official Made Thousands In Bribes From Towing Company

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An ex-District of Columbia government parking official gave towing jobs to a company in exchange for more than $35,000 in bribes, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Vernita M. Greenfield, formerly a customer service representative in the city’s Parking Enforcement Management Administration, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to taking bribes as a federal official.

The city, which doesn’t own enough firetrucks or ambulances, also lacks a tow truck fleet large enough to meet its needs, so officials use a rotation of 22 towing companies when a car is designated for towing. But Greenfield ignored the usual rotation when police called for a tow truck assignment, cutting a deal with the owner of the unnamed towing company to deposit up to $500 each week in her bank account in exchange for giving the company preference on towing jobs.

Greenfield diverted more than 450 towing jobs to the company from July 2011 through May 2013, “depriving other companies of this valuable business,” the DOJ said.

“This government employee took advantage of her position for her own financial gain,” U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips said in a DOJ news release. “The prosecution of this case reflects our commitment to rooting out corruption whenever it exists, as it is imperative for citizens to have faith in their government.”

Court records obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation did not disclose the towing company name or its owner’s identity.

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