The city of Buffalo, New York has been collecting towing fees from motorists whose were never towed. Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark and city comptroller announced investigations into the latest parking ticket scandal yesterday after the Buffalo News broke the story.

Officer Milton J. Jeffries, the department's top ticket writer, issued 292 tickets over the course of a year and two months. Of these, all but fifty were charged $40 for towing, even though none of these tickets resulted in a tow. They did bring in around $10,000 in revenue to the city.

One hundred and two motorists paid the towing fee, even though the Parking Violations Bureau was aware that no towing had been done. The bureau offered no refunds. Some of these who did not pay up within eight days were assessed a late fee that brought the ticket total to $105. One hundred forty motorists appealed and won against the unjustified fee. The largest number of tickets were issued on Davidson Avenue, the street on which Jeffries lives.