Two cab companies in Plattsburgh have been fined for overcharging refugees headed to the border to seek asylum in Canada.

Northern Taxi and C&L Taxi were investigated in an undercover sting operation by the New York Attorney General’s office. One driver was found charging more than four times the going rate. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said the cabbies took advantage of “frightened and desperate people.”

Since President Trump’s tough immigration orders, Plattsburgh has become a hub for people seeking asylum in Canada. And that’s meant big business for cab companies.

“These people are being uprooted from our homes,” said taxi driver Bill Coull in February. “They just want to get into a safe place.”

Prices for rides outside the city aren’t set by law. Reasonable drivers, Coull said, wouldn’t charge more than $70 dollars for a trip to the border. But some do overcharge.

“I’ve heard stories of people charging way over the limit. I’ve heard $100, I’ve heard $150, even as much as up to $200,” Coull said.

Investigators at the State Attorney General’s office heard those stories, too. Glen Michaels with the AG’s office in Plattsburgh said they sent someone undercover to “dress and act as if they were fleeing the United States and see if they were taken advantage of and we found that to be the case.”

Court papers show that Chris Crowningshield, who operates Northern Taxi, didn’t post his rates in his cab – that is required by law. Crowningshield admitted to charging $300 or more. And Michaels says the driver refused to give his passengers a quote.

“The investigator who took a ride with him repeatedly asked what the fair would be, and was not told this until she was on the highway with him heading toward the border,” Michaels said.

Crowningshield was fined $2,500, ordered to post his rates inside the cab, and charge no more than 77.50 for a border call. He declined to comment for this story, as did C&L Taxi. Gail Seymour, who owns that company, was also fined for not posting her prices and overcharging. (C&L was found to charge $100 for a ride to the border.)

Victor Pizarro was also caught up in the investigation. Pizarro owns Town Taxi, and he was fined $350 dollars for not posting his rates. But according to Michaels, Pizarro is not in trouble for price gouging.

“What we were in violation of is we didn’t have a piece of paper that set the prices for outside the city of Plattsburgh inside the car,” Pizarro said.

The number of people seeking asylum in Canada continues to soar – Quebec authorities say there were over 644 in that province in March – and cab companies will keep taking them to the border.

Michaels said any other cab drivers who overcharge should consider themselves warned.

“There will be others,” he said. “We do want cab drivers to know in the area that if they’re not following the law they may be taking an investigator, or someone who will be going to court in their cab.”