The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
A Somerset man is among four New Brunswick Parking Authority employees charged by New Brunswick police April 7 for allegedly conspiring to take payments to illegally park cars.
Karan Buchhan, 25, was arrested with Atis Mir-Merced, 18, and Joshue Castillo-Mendoza, 24, both of the Kendall Park section of South Brunswick, and Ferrad West, 22, of East Brunswick, according to a press release from New Brunswick Police.
Buchan, Mir-Merced and Castillo-Mendoza were charged with bribery, conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to commit theft, according to the release. West was charged with a single count of conspiracy to commit theft, the release said.
Bail for Buchan was set at $10,000 and $7,500 each for Mir-Merced and Castillo-Mendoza. Bail for West was set at $2,500.
New Brunswick police determined that the men worked as parking valets at two Denis Street restaurants, and would allegedly take cash payments from patrons to park their cars in the closed Wolfs desk. The deck is slated for demolition, and parking there is illegal, according to the release.
Three of the four also paid bribes to other Parking Authority employees in exchange for the silence, according to the release.
Police said the amounts of the payments have not yet been determined.
The investigation is active and is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Thierry Lemmerling at (732) 745-5217.
