FCC Proposes A $400K+ Fine For NYPD-Tampering Pirate

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A New York City resident named Jay Peralta may have to fork over upward of $400,000 for his operation of a radio transmitter on frequencies that the FCC has licensed to the New York Police Department, causing interference with the NYPD radio system.


In a Notice of Apparent Liability issued Friday (4/14) by the Commission, Mr. Peralta is accused of transmitting threatening messages directed at NYPD officers—including false bomb threats and false officer-in-distress calls to NYPD dispatchers.

For this “egregious conduct,” Peralta faces a proposed fine of $404,166 for this

In a special public notice, the Commission noted that it takes such violations “very seriously,” as this involves not FM signals but the unauthorized use of the radio systems used by first responders. Thus, Peralta’s actions may significantly harm the public by impairing the ability of legitimate users to communicate, the Commission said.

Peralta has Twitter to blame for being outed. The NAL is a result of an investigation that began in August 2016 when an FCC employee observed a Twitter post about an unlawful intrusion on the NYPD’s radio system. The NYPD provided the FCC with a written statement by Peralta, who is currently in police custody for related charges, in which he apparently acknowledged making nine unauthorized transmissions on the NYPD’s radio system.

The NAL handed to Peralta represents the maximum monetary penalty permitted under the law.

As with any proposed fine, Mr. Peralta has 30 days to respond to the NAL.

According to his statement to the NYPD, on at least one occasion, Peralta apparently made unauthorized transmissions on the NYPD’s radio system in order to distract officers while his accomplices allegedly committed a robbery.

The NYPD is a licensed user of multiple radio frequencies in the New York City area.