By Philip Newman
Three former officials and the office manager of IntaBoro Acres Inc.,an Ozone Park black car taxi cooperative, have been indicted for allegedly bilking the cooperative out of more than $732 000 over the period between 2007 and 2014, the Queens DA said. District Attorney Richard Brown identified the defendants as Intaboro’s former president,Iqbal Ali, 60,of 29 Hatfield Place, Staten Island; former Vice President Kubilay Durantas, 55, of 110 Connolly Ave. on Staten Island: former Treasurer Mitat Beymolla, 62, of 2689 Grand Ave. in Baldwin, N.Y.; and former office manager Lisa Cruz of 33 Steward St. in Bayshore, L.I.,
All are charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. If convicted they each face up to 15 years in prison.
Durantas, Beymolla and Cruz were arraigned Nov. 9 before Acting Supreme Court Justice John Latella, who released the defendants and ordered them to return to court Dec. 13. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Ali.
Brown saids Intaboro Acres Inc. at 88-19 101st Ave. in Ozone Park is a “black car base” taxi cooperative association. Under the arrangement, Intaboro drivers are shareholders in the cooperative, which gives them “radio rights,” or the right to drive a car dispatched by Intaboro.
It is alleged that between January 2007 and February 2014 a forensic review of the cooperative’s business records showed a systemic pattern of moving money out of the cooperative’s accounts for use by the three officials and office manager Cruz to pay for for personal, non-business-related expenses.
The DA alleged that in some cases cooperative money was used to pay personal credit card bills and a swimming pool was constructed at the home of Durantas with cooperative funds.
