The UBS Arena parking attendant in Long Island found himself in hot water after being accused of scamming hockey fans and concert attendees out of nearly $5,000 by pocketing their parking payments. Tremayne Brown, a 26-year-old from Queens, allegedly tricked patrons into directing their payments to his personal Venmo account on 125 occasions starting from April 17. This deceitful act deprived the arena of almost $5,000 in revenue.
Brown’s scheme came to light on January 12 when his shift supervisor overheard him soliciting payment from a patron to his Venmo account, which was registered under the username “MartinGrey00.” The supervisor investigated further and discovered that this was not an isolated incident. Brown had a history of allegedly swindling customers in the same manner, never transferring the funds to the arena as intended.
Upon his arrest on January 14, Brown was charged with third-degree grand larceny and falsifying business records in the first degree. Despite the evidence against him, he pleaded not guilty during his arraignment before Judge Michele Johnson. He was subsequently released and placed under the supervision of a pre-trial services officer, with his next court appearance scheduled for February 21.
It is alarming to think that a trusted employee would engage in such deceitful behavior, jeopardizing the reputation and financial well-being of the UBS Arena. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining vigilance and oversight in all business operations to prevent fraudulent activities. The arena management must now take steps to tighten security measures and ensure that all employees adhere to ethical standards in their conduct.