A Murbro Parking lot in Syracuse
SYRACUSE -- The investigation into an alleged taxpayer ripoff by the Murbro Parking company has expanded according to Syracuse Chief of Staff Bill Ryan.
Ryan told CNY Central's Jim Kenyon Wednesday that investigators with the Syracuse Police Department are now actively working with the Onondaga County District Attorney's office. Ryan says the probe is also focusing on whether Murbro may have cheated private companies in downtown Syracuse who had parking contracts with the company.
In January, Mayor Stephanie Miner terminated the city's contract with Murbro to run two city-owned parking garages. At the time, Miner accused the company of pocketing potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer revenue.
Since then Ryan says, "police have been following the money trail" to determine how much money may be missing. Now that the white collar crimes unit is also investigating whether the private sector may have also been victimized, Ryan says the probe could take an additional two months or longer.
When Kenyon approached the headquarters of Murbro in downtown Syracuse, an employee locked the door and disappeared into a back office. Wednesday afternoon, the receptionist who answered the phone would only say "we have no comment."
Murbro continues to operate a number of parking lots in downtown Syracuse.
