DPW Employee Charged With Parking Voucher Scheme

A Darien Department of Public Works employee has been charged with second degree larceny after investigators allegedly observed him stealing bills off of cars parked at the Darien Metro-North Station—money which riders believed they could leave in place of purchasing a voucher.

Robert Mattera, 50, of Norwalk turned himself in Thursday after Darien Police notified him that there was a warrant out for his arrest. He was released on a promise to appear in court on Aug. 24.

According to police, Mattera, a longtime DPW employee, was responsible for monitoring vouchers on cars parked at the Darien Station lot and issuing tickets to vehicles that lacked them.

Over at least "a few years," police said many passengers had come to believe by word of mouth that they could leave $3 in cash under their windshield wipers in place of purchasing the vouchers.

But rather than using the funds he collected to buy them on the drivers' behalf, police say Mattera routinely pocketed the money.

After investigators were tipped off to the apparent ruse, they launched an investigation on July 1 to monitor vehicles parked in the station lot. Officers would note which cars had cash left on them and, subsequently, which of those cars displayed no voucher when Mattera had completed his rounds.

Capt. Fred Komm of the Darien Police said the department isn't sure how many cars were involved, but noted that Mattera took cash from seven vehicles on one particular day of the investigation. The scheme is believed to have been going on for a "relatively substantial period of time," Komm said.

When interviewed by police, Mattera "said it didn't look good, but that he would always buy vouchers," according to Komm.

"Obviously we think otherwise," Komm said. "The court agreed with us and signed the arrest warrant."

Komm declined to comment on whether other employees were implicated in the scheme, but he said that commuters "weren't complaining" because the practice saved them time.