Assemblyman calls for tougher gas theft penalties

ALBANY, NEW YORK – A state assemblyman from Rensselaer County said Monday there continues to be a need for tougher penalties for people who drive away from the pumps after filling their vehicles with gasoline and not paying.

Republican Assemblyman Pat Casale said he is reintroducing a bill that failed in the Assembly last year. It would give the judges the authority to suspend the driver’s licenses of people convicted of pumping but not paying. The legislation would contain the current misdemeanor criminal penalties for gas theft of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Casale said the number of instances where motorists are not paying for gas is “skyrocketing.”

“Theft of motor fuel not only costs retailers thousands of dollars every year, but also forces law-abiding motorists to make up the difference when they pay for their gas,” Casale said.

The Business Review (Albany, NY)