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In July 2016, Freidman filed for [[Chapter 11]] bankruptcy for companies that own approximately 90 of his nearly 900 [[taxi medallion]]s, in an attempt to protect those medallions from foreclosure action by lenders. In December 2016, he agreed to surrender 46 of his medallions to settle obligations to [[Citibank]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/taxi-tycoon-cough-cabs-medallions-pay-debt-article-1.2929283|title=Taxi tycoon to cough up cabs, medallions to pay off debt|website=nydailynews.com|accessdate=22 August 2017}}</ref> In September 2016 Freidman was evicted from his longtime headquarters after falling $170,000 behind on his rent.<ref name="eviction">{{cite web|last1=Furfaro|first1=Danielle|title=Controversial 'Taxi King' evicted from longtime headquarters|date=9 September 2016|url=https://nypost.com/2016/09/09/controversial-taxi-king-evicted-from-longtime-headquarters/|publisher=[[New York Post]]|accessdate=11 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Hoffer|first1=Jim|title=Investigators exclusive: Taxi king who owes millions evicted from HQ|date=9 September 2016|url=http://abc7ny.com/news/the-investigators-taxi-king-who-owes-millions-evicted-from-hq/1505185/|publisher=[[WABC-TV]]|accessdate=11 June 2017}}</ref> In April 2017 the Taxi and Limousine Commission refused to renew more than 800 of Freidman's licenses which had expired. According to a report at that time, Freidman still owned about 150 taxi medallions.<ref name="medallions">{{cite web|last1=Furfaro|first1=Danielle|title=Taxi King no longer allowed to manage hundreds of medallions|date=7 April 2017|url=https://nypost.com/2017/04/06/taxi-king-no-longer-allowed-to-manage-hundreds-of-medallions/|publisher=[[New York Post]]|accessdate=11 June 2017}}</ref>
In July 2016, Freidman filed for [[Chapter 11]] bankruptcy for companies that own approximately 90 of his nearly 900 [[taxi medallion]]s, in an attempt to protect those medallions from foreclosure action by lenders. In December 2016, he agreed to surrender 46 of his medallions to settle obligations to [[Citibank]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/taxi-tycoon-cough-cabs-medallions-pay-debt-article-1.2929283|title=Taxi tycoon to cough up cabs, medallions to pay off debt|website=nydailynews.com|accessdate=22 August 2017}}</ref> In September 2016 Freidman was evicted from his longtime headquarters after falling $170,000 behind on his rent.<ref name="eviction">{{cite web|last1=Furfaro|first1=Danielle|title=Controversial 'Taxi King' evicted from longtime headquarters|date=9 September 2016|url=https://nypost.com/2016/09/09/controversial-taxi-king-evicted-from-longtime-headquarters/|publisher=[[New York Post]]|accessdate=11 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Hoffer|first1=Jim|title=Investigators exclusive: Taxi king who owes millions evicted from HQ|date=9 September 2016|url=http://abc7ny.com/news/the-investigators-taxi-king-who-owes-millions-evicted-from-hq/1505185/|publisher=[[WABC-TV]]|accessdate=11 June 2017}}</ref> In April 2017 the Taxi and Limousine Commission refused to renew more than 800 of Freidman's licenses which had expired. According to a report at that time, Freidman still owned about 150 taxi medallions.<ref name="medallions">{{cite web|last1=Furfaro|first1=Danielle|title=Taxi King no longer allowed to manage hundreds of medallions|date=7 April 2017|url=https://nypost.com/2017/04/06/taxi-king-no-longer-allowed-to-manage-hundreds-of-medallions/|publisher=[[New York Post]]|accessdate=11 June 2017}}</ref>


In June 2017, Freidman along with Taxi Club Management's [[Chief financial officer|CFO]] Andreea Dumitru were indicted with four counts of criminal [[tax fraud]] in the first degree and one count of [[grand larceny]] in the first degree.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://pix11.com/2017/06/07/nyc-taxi-king-accused-of-failing-to-pay-5-million-in-taxes-intended-for-mta-improvements/|title=NYC 'Taxi King' accused of failing to pay $5&nbsp;million in taxes intended for MTA improvements|date=2017-06-07|work=WPIX 11 New York|access-date=2018-05-23|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/albany_county_-_freidman_and_dumitru.pdf|title=The People of the State of New York against Evegeny Freidman and Andreea Dumitru|website=ag.ny.gov}}</ref> The indictments alleged that Freidman's company stole $5&nbsp;million by never paying the state for a 50-cent surcharge, known as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority tax. On May 22, 2018, Freidman pleaded guilty to one count of criminal tax fraud in the second degree.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-underwood-and-acting-tax-commissioner-manion-announce-conviction-taxi-king-evgeny|title = A.G. Underwood and Acting Tax Commissioner Manion Announce Conviction of "Taxi King" Evgeny Freidman for Stealing Nearly $5 Million in MTA Taxes &#124; New York State Attorney General}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Helderman|first=Rosalind S.|date=2018-05-23|title=A one-time business associate of Michael Cohen known as New York's 'Taxi King' has agreed to cooperate with federal investigators|language=en-US|work=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-one-time-business-associate-of-michael-cohen-known-as-new-yorks-taxi-king-has-agreed-to-cooperate-with-federal-investigators/2018/05/22/4066e7ea-5e07-11e8-9ee3-49d6d4814c4c_story.html|access-date=2021-10-25|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> As part of his plea deal, Freidman was required to pay restitution of $1&nbsp;million to the [[New York State Department of Taxation and Finance]]. Freidman’s sentence was suspended to allow him to complete his restitution payments. If he satisfied the terms of the agreement, he was to be sentenced to 5 years’ probation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/22/nyregion/michael-cohen-trump-taxi-cooperation.html|title=Michael Cohen's Business Partner Agrees to Cooperate as Part of Plea Deal|access-date=2018-05-23|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-underwood-and-acting-tax-commissioner-manion-announce-conviction-taxi-king-evgeny|title=A.G. Underwood And Acting Tax Commissioner Manion Announce Conviction Of "Taxi King" Evgeny Freidman For Stealing Nearly $5 Million In MTA Taxes|publisher=New York State Attorney General|language=en|access-date=2018-05-23}}</ref>
In June 2017, Freidman along with Taxi Club Management's [[Chief financial officer|CFO]] Andreea Dumitru were indicted with four counts of criminal [[tax fraud]] in the first degree and one count of [[grand larceny]] in the first degree.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://pix11.com/2017/06/07/nyc-taxi-king-accused-of-failing-to-pay-5-million-in-taxes-intended-for-mta-improvements/|title=NYC 'Taxi King' accused of failing to pay $5&nbsp;million in taxes intended for MTA improvements|date=2017-06-07|work=WPIX 11 New York|access-date=2018-05-23|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/albany_county_-_freidman_and_dumitru.pdf|title=The People of the State of New York against Evegeny Freidman and Andreea Dumitru|website=ag.ny.gov}}</ref> The indictments alleged that Freidman's company stole $5&nbsp;million by never paying the state for a 50-cent surcharge, known as the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority tax]]. On May 22, 2018, Freidman pleaded guilty to one count of criminal tax fraud in the second degree.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-underwood-and-acting-tax-commissioner-manion-announce-conviction-taxi-king-evgeny|title = A.G. Underwood and Acting Tax Commissioner Manion Announce Conviction of "Taxi King" Evgeny Freidman for Stealing Nearly $5 Million in MTA Taxes &#124; New York State Attorney General}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Helderman|first=Rosalind S.|date=2018-05-23|title=A one-time business associate of Michael Cohen known as New York's 'Taxi King' has agreed to cooperate with federal investigators|language=en-US|work=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-one-time-business-associate-of-michael-cohen-known-as-new-yorks-taxi-king-has-agreed-to-cooperate-with-federal-investigators/2018/05/22/4066e7ea-5e07-11e8-9ee3-49d6d4814c4c_story.html|access-date=2021-10-25|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> As part of his plea deal, Freidman was required to pay restitution of $1&nbsp;million to the [[New York State Department of Taxation and Finance]]. Freidman’s sentence was suspended to allow him to complete his restitution payments. If he satisfied the terms of the agreement, he was to be sentenced to 5 years’ probation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/22/nyregion/michael-cohen-trump-taxi-cooperation.html|title=Michael Cohen's Business Partner Agrees to Cooperate as Part of Plea Deal|access-date=2018-05-23|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-underwood-and-acting-tax-commissioner-manion-announce-conviction-taxi-king-evgeny|title=A.G. Underwood And Acting Tax Commissioner Manion Announce Conviction Of "Taxi King" Evgeny Freidman For Stealing Nearly $5 Million In MTA Taxes|publisher=New York State Attorney General|language=en|access-date=2018-05-23}}</ref>


Freidman was ordered to Cook County Jail on December 11, 2017, by Judge David B. Atkins for "indirect criminal contempt of court" for a violation of a court order from June 15, 2016. From a lawsuit with his former partner Savas Tsitiridis, both parties had been ordered not to have a Dispatch taxi employee, Anita Cisneros, "to perform work which is not for the exclusive benefit of Dispatch or Pure." In December 2017, Freidman served a 28-day sentence in Cook County Jail in Chicago.<ref>{{cite news | title = Gene Freidman Jailed | url = http://chicagodispatcher.com/gene-freidman-jailed-p3374-1.htm | publisher = Chicago Dispatcher | date = December 5, 2017 | access-date = April 12, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Lutfallah | first = George | title = Freidman Jailed | url = http://chicagodispatcher.com/freidman-jailed-p3386-1.htm | publisher = Chicago Dispatcher | date = December 19, 2017 | access-date = April 12, 2018}}</ref>
Freidman was ordered to Cook County Jail on December 11, 2017, by Judge David B. Atkins for "indirect criminal contempt of court" for a violation of a court order from June 15, 2016. From a lawsuit with his former partner Savas Tsitiridis, both parties had been ordered not to have a Dispatch taxi employee, Anita Cisneros, "to perform work which is not for the exclusive benefit of Dispatch or Pure." In December 2017, Freidman served a 28-day sentence in Cook County Jail in Chicago.<ref>{{cite news | title = Gene Freidman Jailed | url = http://chicagodispatcher.com/gene-freidman-jailed-p3374-1.htm | publisher = Chicago Dispatcher | date = December 5, 2017 | access-date = April 12, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Lutfallah | first = George | title = Freidman Jailed | url = http://chicagodispatcher.com/freidman-jailed-p3386-1.htm | publisher = Chicago Dispatcher | date = December 19, 2017 | access-date = April 12, 2018}}</ref>

Revision as of 15:37, 26 October 2021

Evgeny Alender Freidman (Template:Lang-ru;[1]), known as Gene Freidman,[2] (November 29, 1970 – October 24, 2021) was a Russian-American businessman who formerly owned a large taxi fleet in New York City, Taxi Club Management (TCM). A disbarred attorney, he was dubbed the "Taxi King" or "Kingpin."[3][4]

He was a convicted felon and faced repeated criminal and civil legal issues. [5]

Early life and education

Evgeny Alender Freidman was born on November 29, 1970,[6] into a Jewish family in Leningrad.[7] He and his family immigrated to the United States as refugees in 1976.[7] He attended public schools in Queens before his admission to The Bronx High School of Science, then went on to graduate with a B.S. degree from Skidmore College in 1992. He received his J.D. from Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City and was admitted to practice law,[8] but was later disbarred.[9]

Career

Starting with his father's taxi fleet, Freidman began with 60 Yellow cabs and expanded to 900 by 2015.[1] He led the company from a valuation of $2.5 million in 1996 to $120 million in 2009.[10] In 2008, Freidman was listed on Crain's New York Business list of "40 Under 40".[11] Taxi Club Management permanently closed in 2018.[citation needed]

While Michael Cohen worked for The Trump Organization, he had had Freidman manage his remaining taxi fleet, after Simon Garber purchased the management of most of Cohen's large fleet.[12][13]

In 2013, Freidman reached a settlement with the New York State Attorney General's office and the Taxi and Limousine Commission over excessive charges to taxi drivers working for three of Freidman's companies. Freidman agreed to pay $750,000 in restitution to drivers and $500,000 in fines.[14][15] The Attorney General sued Freidman in April 2015 for failing to live up to the terms of the 2013 settlement and for further violations.[16][17][18] The suit was settled in April 2016 with Freidman required to pay over $250,000 in fines, damages, and restitution.[19]

In July 2016, Freidman filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for companies that own approximately 90 of his nearly 900 taxi medallions, in an attempt to protect those medallions from foreclosure action by lenders. In December 2016, he agreed to surrender 46 of his medallions to settle obligations to Citibank.[20] In September 2016 Freidman was evicted from his longtime headquarters after falling $170,000 behind on his rent.[21][22] In April 2017 the Taxi and Limousine Commission refused to renew more than 800 of Freidman's licenses which had expired. According to a report at that time, Freidman still owned about 150 taxi medallions.[23]

In June 2017, Freidman along with Taxi Club Management's CFO Andreea Dumitru were indicted with four counts of criminal tax fraud in the first degree and one count of grand larceny in the first degree.[24][25] The indictments alleged that Freidman's company stole $5 million by never paying the state for a 50-cent surcharge, known as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority tax. On May 22, 2018, Freidman pleaded guilty to one count of criminal tax fraud in the second degree.[26][27] As part of his plea deal, Freidman was required to pay restitution of $1 million to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Freidman’s sentence was suspended to allow him to complete his restitution payments. If he satisfied the terms of the agreement, he was to be sentenced to 5 years’ probation.[28][29]

Freidman was ordered to Cook County Jail on December 11, 2017, by Judge David B. Atkins for "indirect criminal contempt of court" for a violation of a court order from June 15, 2016. From a lawsuit with his former partner Savas Tsitiridis, both parties had been ordered not to have a Dispatch taxi employee, Anita Cisneros, "to perform work which is not for the exclusive benefit of Dispatch or Pure." In December 2017, Freidman served a 28-day sentence in Cook County Jail in Chicago.[30][31]

Disbarment

On July 13, 2017, Freidman was suspended from practicing law then, on May 1, 2018; he was barred from practicing law as an attorney in New York, for having failed to respond to notices or appear for investigation related to his suspension.[32]

Sexual harassment lawsuit

In June 2018, Freidman lost a lawsuit to his former assistant whom he was found to have repeatedly sexually harassed. A New York court ordered him to pay $1.3 million in damages.[33][34][35]

Politics

Freidman raised more than $50,000 for Mayor Bill de Blasio's campaign and arranged meetings between City Hall and Ed Mullins, the head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association (the NYPD Seargent's labor union), .[36][37]

Death

Freidman died on October 24, 2021, in Manhattan at the age of 50.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Grant, Alexander (June 2, 2015). "Проблемы «короля желтых кэбов» Нью-Йорка". Russkaya Reklama Novosti (in Russian). Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  2. ^ Barro, Josh (April 10, 2015). "New York Taxi Mogul, Seeking a Bailout, Says He's Too Big to Fail". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  3. ^ Marsh, Julia; Fears, Danika (March 16, 2015). "'Taxi Kingpin' in massive debt thanks to Uber". New York Post. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  4. ^ "About Dispatch Taxi Affiliation Inc Service – Chicago Taxi Service". DispatchTaxi.com. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  5. ^ "Michael Cohen's business partner, known as "Taxi King," pleads guilty in deal".
  6. ^ a b Roberts, Sam (October 25, 2021). "Gene Freidman, 'Taxi King' Who Upended His Industry, Dies at 50". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Grant, Alexander (April 11, 2017). "«Короля желтых кэбов» преследуют неприятности | Еврейский Мир". Yevreisky Mir (in Russian). Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  8. ^ Chan, Sewell (November 4, 2005). "On the Street: Cleaner-Running Cabs". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  9. ^ Heelan, Melissa (April 30, 2021). "Convicted Lawyer Dubbed 'Taxi King' Now Disbarred in Two States". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved October 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ "Evgeny Freidman CEO of Taxi Club Management". YellowCabNYC.com. February 3, 2009. Archived from the original on October 12, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  11. ^ "Evgeny Freidman – 2008–40 Under Forty". mycrains.crainsnewyork.com. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  12. ^ Helderman, Rosalind S.; Hamburger, Tom; Leonnig, Carol (April 12, 2018). "FBI raid sought Trump lawyer's communications with bank that loaned him money against his taxi business". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  13. ^ Leonnig, Carol D.; Hamburger, Tom; Barrett, Devlin (April 9, 2018). "Trump attorney Cohen is being investigated for possible bank fraud, campaign finance violations". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  14. ^ Flegenheimer, Matt (December 19, 2013). "Taxi Industry Bids the Bloomberg Era a Not-So-Fond Farewell". New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  15. ^ Donohue, Pete. "Taxi mogul to pay $1.2 million over allegations he was ripping off cab drivers". New York Daily News. No. 10 December 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  16. ^ Fischer, Ben (April 23, 2015). "Schneiderman sues NYC's biggest taxi mogul". New York Business Journal. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  17. ^ "A.G. Schneiderman Sues Evgeny Freidman And His Taxi Management Companies For Allegedly Violating Taxi Drivers' Rights And Breaching Settlement Agreement". New York Press Office. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  18. ^ Popowitz, Arthur. "Taxi Mogul Freidman Slapped with Lawsuit by AG for Cheating Drivers". Jewish Voice. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  19. ^ "A.G. Schneiderman Obtains Consent Order Requiring Evgeny Freidman's Taxi Companies To Hire Independent Monitor To Protect Drivers' Rights". New York City Press Office. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  20. ^ "Taxi tycoon to cough up cabs, medallions to pay off debt". nydailynews.com. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  21. ^ Furfaro, Danielle (September 9, 2016). "Controversial 'Taxi King' evicted from longtime headquarters". New York Post. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  22. ^ Hoffer, Jim (September 9, 2016). "Investigators exclusive: Taxi king who owes millions evicted from HQ". WABC-TV. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  23. ^ Furfaro, Danielle (April 7, 2017). "Taxi King no longer allowed to manage hundreds of medallions". New York Post. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  24. ^ "NYC 'Taxi King' accused of failing to pay $5 million in taxes intended for MTA improvements". WPIX 11 New York. June 7, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  25. ^ "The People of the State of New York against Evegeny Freidman and Andreea Dumitru" (PDF). ag.ny.gov.
  26. ^ "A.G. Underwood and Acting Tax Commissioner Manion Announce Conviction of "Taxi King" Evgeny Freidman for Stealing Nearly $5 Million in MTA Taxes | New York State Attorney General".
  27. ^ Helderman, Rosalind S. (May 23, 2018). "A one-time business associate of Michael Cohen known as New York's 'Taxi King' has agreed to cooperate with federal investigators". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  28. ^ "Michael Cohen's Business Partner Agrees to Cooperate as Part of Plea Deal". Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  29. ^ "A.G. Underwood And Acting Tax Commissioner Manion Announce Conviction Of "Taxi King" Evgeny Freidman For Stealing Nearly $5 Million In MTA Taxes". New York State Attorney General. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  30. ^ "Gene Freidman Jailed". Chicago Dispatcher. December 5, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  31. ^ Lutfallah, George (December 19, 2017). "Freidman Jailed". Chicago Dispatcher. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  32. ^ "Matter of Freidman (2018 NY Slip Op 03116)". www.nycourts.gov. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  33. ^ "'Taxi King' must pay $1.3M to ex-assistant after sex harassment". June 27, 2018.
  34. ^ Leagle "Gutierrez v. Taxi Club Managemen, Inc.", United States District Court, E.D., New York via Leagle.com, July 16, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  35. ^ "Judge recommends 'Taxi King' pay $1.3M in sex harassment case".
  36. ^ Johnson, Richard (December 9, 2013). "Taxi king Evgeny Freidman marks a milestone". Page Six. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  37. ^ "Report: City Hall's Ice Cold Relations Thaw Out With the Help of Taxi Kingpin". jpupdates.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
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