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on those machines. In the beginning, Flannery obtained
30 tickets a day using this method, and one cashier,
enlisted by Gricco, used the replacement tickets to
steal cash. Gricco scheduled either McCardell or David
Million, another supervisor, to oversee the tollbooth
plaza at which this cashier worked. Gradually, more
corrupt cashiers were enlisted, and eventually Flannery
began printing counterfeit tickets.
Gricco, McCardell, Million, and Flannery expanded their
scheme over the next four years. At first, Gricco enlisted
cashiers who had engaged in a similar but smaller scheme in
1988. Eventually Gricco recruited about 15 other cashiers
to participate. Flannery delivered the counterfeit tickets
that he manufactured to Gricco, McCardell, or McCardell’s
wife. McCardell then distributed the replacement tickets
to the corrupt cashiers, and at the end of their shifts,
McCardell picked up the stolen money and forwarded it to
Gricco, who distributed the money among the participants.
The cashiers received a portion of the proceeds stolen
during their shifts, and the rest was divided into four
equal shares for Gricco, McCardell, Million, and Flannery.
The leading participants in the scheme did not
report their unlawful income on their federal income
tax returns. Gricco kept his money in a safe, loaned
cash to others and received repayments in the form of
checks or money orders, gave cash to family members,
and placed real estate under his family members’ names.
Through a real estate broker named Ludwig Cappozi,
Gricco purchased several properties for cash. Capozzi
also engaged in real estate transactions with
McCardell’s wife, who used cash to purchase properties
under both her own and McCardell’s name.
The cashiers involved in the scheme also failed to
report their unlawful income on their income tax
returns. They did not deposit their embezzled funds
into banks for fear of being detected by the Internal
Revenue Service. Gricco cautioned some cashiers not to
put their money in banks, and he advised Flannery and
Million to invest in real estate through Capozzi.
The scheme ended in September 1994, when the
Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office executed search
warrants at the airport. In July 1996, the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania brought state charges of
theft, forgery, and unlawful use of a computer against
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