Advertisement Team 5: Tens of millions owed to Massachusetts by toll cheats State officials 'limited' in recovering money Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Massachusetts has tens of millions of dollars in unpaid tolls and fines and Team 5 Investigates' Kathy Curran learned why the state hasn't been able to collect some of that debt for years.Watch the Team 5 Investigates reportMost people behind the wheel on Massachusetts roads pay their tolls in cash or through E-Z Pass and keep on rolling. But even with the cameras and warning signs, many people blow through the tolls without paying a dime and that's bad for the state's bottom line.Team 5 Investigates has discovered the toll scofflaws owe $23,074,842 in unpaid tolls and fines dating back to 2002.According to Frank DePaola, highway administrator for MassDOT, that so-called toll leakage could help improve roads all over the state."It's a lot of money. We could use that money to improve pavement and other road conditions on the turnpike and the turnpike extensions," said DePaola.Transportation officials tell Team 5 Investigates they're limited in what they can do to crack down on toll evaders.In Massachusetts, you're registration and license renewal is put on hold until you pay up and if you're from New Hampshire or Maine, the state has mutual agreements to do the same.But right now, if you're from any other state, there's very little Massachusetts can do to recover that money."So if you're a driver from Rhode Island or Connecticut, you can just keep on driving?" asked Team 5 Investigates' Curran."You can, you can. Hopefully someday I'll have the opportunity to impound your vehicle," said DePaola.State records show the worst offenders are from Connecticut, the Constitution State, where drivers racked up $1,069,751.34 in unpaid tolls and fines.New Hampshire drivers racked up $932,288.22 in debt, Rhode Island drivers owe $744,244.72.And drivers in Massachusetts owe $587,105.76.But there's no green light for public shaming of these toll cheats because their privacy is protected by state law even if they break the contract by not paying.Team 5 Investigates tracked down two of the Bay state's top toll evaders.The owner of two livery and shuttle companies owes the state $156,000. And a woman from Bellingham racked up $45,000 in unpaid tolls and fines.David Tuerck, who heads up the conservative think tank, the Beacon Hill Institute, told Team 5 Investigates it's time for the state to get tough on the cheaters."It's a bigger problem than I expected to see. You can't allow these kinds of offenses to go on indefinitely because it encourages more cheating and it also causes people to lose respect for government so it's time, I think, to get tough on these people," Tuerck said."It's frustrating because we are somewhat limited in what we can do to collect it. As I said, we've actually gone to the point of contracting with collection agencies as a last ditch attempt to try and collect that money and get it back," said DePaola.Even with the use of that collection agency, the $23 million balance has remained over the past few years.State officials told Team 5 Investigates they'll push for legislation to impound the vehicles if the outstanding balance on unpaid tolls reaches a certain amount, because with electronic tolling on the horizon, officials say this problem will get even worse.