New Jersey bus company and owner face theft charges for nearly $300K in unpaid tolls
A New Jersey business owner and her bus company are facing charges after allegedly accumulating $290,000 in unpaid tolls.
Somaya Elkaramany, 57, and her company Best Big Bus LLC have been indicted on multiple counts of theft of services, according to New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin.
Officials say that between October 1, 2020, and September 25, 2025, Elkaramany and her company incurred approximately $290,000 in unpaid tolls owed to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Investigators linked the unpaid tolls to three New Jersey license plates registered to Best Big Bus, and two New Jersey license plates registered to Elkaramany, who also drove buses for her company.
Platkin said that investigators discovered the following:
- A New Jersey license plate registered to Best Big Bus incurred $143,835 of unpaid tolls because of 3,526 citation violations between September 7, 2022, and October 26, 2024
- A New Jersey license plate registered to Best Big Bus incurred $60,069 of unpaid tolls because of 1,542 citation violations between October 1, 2020, and October 21, 2021
- New Jersey license plate registered to Elkaramany incurred $19,482 of unpaid tolls because of 469 citation violations between December 20, 2021, and October 30, 2024
- A New Jersey license plate registered to Elkaramany incurred $4,776 of unpaid tolls because of 131 citation violations between October 5, 2021, and January 17, 2022
- A New Jersey license plate registered to Best Big Bus incurred $65,719 of unpaid tolls because of 1,360 citation violations between November 21, 2024, and September 25, 2025
“The defendant and her company are charged with racking up nearly $300,000 in unpaid tolls for thousands of trips back and forth between New Jersey and New York,” said Attorney General Platkin. “The tolls we all pay go to maintain the vital bridges, tunnels, and roads that our state depends on. We will not tolerate anyone who tries to cheat the system.”
“No one enjoys paying tolls, but our transportation system relies on them for the revenue needed to maintain it,” said Division of Criminal Justice Director Theresa L. Hilton. “The indictment alleges that this defendant used the system for her business but failed to pay her fair share – something we all must do.”
Investigating agencies include the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, the Port Authority of New York, and the New Jersey Police Department.