EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — Two men have been charged and are accused of defrauding the Pennsylvania Turnpike for approximately one million dollars in tolls by using fraudulent credit card information to load EZ Pass transponders.

According to US Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Duvany Zambrano, 43, of New Jersey, and Sergio
Jara, 37, of Allentown, began acquiring thousands of E-Z Pass transponders from retailers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey beginning in 2018.

Investigators say the two then registered the transponders using false personal information and false credit card information. Next, prosecutors say they sold the transponders to truckers in the New Jersey area who traveled on the Pennsylvania Turnpike hauling materials.

As stated in the release, Zambrano, Jara, and others avoided paying approximately $1,000,000 in tolls.

Zambrano and Jara are currently scheduled for trial on March 4, 2023. The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.