Gene Freidman

In June 2017, Freidman along with Taxi Club Management's CFO Andreea Dumitru were indicted with four counts of criminal tax fraud in the first degree and one count of grand larceny in the first degree. The indictments alleged that Freidman's company stole $5 million (USD) by never paying the state for a 50-cent surcharge, known as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority tax. On May 22, 2018, Freidman pleaded guilty to one count of criminal tax fraud in the second degree. As part of his plea deal within Freidman must pay restitution in the amount of $1,000,000 to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Freidman’s sentence was suspended to allow him to complete his restitution payments. If he satisfies the terms of the agreement, he will be sentenced to 5 years’ probation.

In June 2018, Freidman lost a lawsuit to his former assistant whom he was found to have repeatedly sexually harassed. A New York court ordered him to pay $1.3 million in damages.

On July 13, 2017, Freidman was suspended from practicing law then, on May 1, 2018; he was barred from practicing law as an attorney in New York, for having failed to respond to notices or appear for investigation related to his suspension.

In July 2016, Freidman filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for companies that own approximately 90 of his nearly 900 taxi medallions, in an attempt to protect those medallions from foreclosure action by lenders. In December 2016, he agreed to surrender 46 of his medallions to settle obligations to Citibank. In September 2016 Freidman was evicted from his longtime headquarters after falling $170,000 behind on his rent. In April 2017 the Taxi and Limosine Commission refused to renew more than 800 of Freidman's licenses which had expired. According to a report at that time, Freidman still owned about 150 taxi medallions.

Freidman was ordered to Cook County Jail on Dec. 11, 2017 by Judge David B. Atkins for "indirect criminal contempt of court" for a violation of a court order from June 15, 2016. From a lawsuit with his former partner Savas Tsitiridis, both parties had been ordered not to have a Dispatch taxi employee, Anita Cisneros, "to perform work which is not for the exclusive benefit of Dispatch or Pure." On December 11, 2017, Freidman began serving his 28 day sentence in Cook County Jail in Chicago, IL.

Starting with his father's taxi fleet, Freidman began with 60 yellow cabs and expanded to 900 by 2015. He led the company from a valuation of $2.5 million in 1996 to $120 million in 2009. In 2008, Freidman was listed on Crain's New York Business list of "40 Under 40". Taxi Club Management permanently closed in 2018.

In 2013, Freidman reached a settlement with the New York State Attorney General's office and the Taxi and Limousine Commission over excessive charges to taxi drivers working for three of Freidman's companies. Freidman agreed to pay $750,000 in restitution to drivers and $500,000 in fines. The Attorney General sued Freidman in April 2015 for failing to live up to the terms of the 2013 settlement and for further violations. The suit was settled in April 2016 with Freidman required to pay over $250,000 in fines, damages, and restitution.

Born into a Jewish family in Leningrad, Freidman and his family immigrated to the United States as refugees in 1976. He attended public schools in Queens before his admission to The Bronx High School of Science, then went on to graduate with a B.S. degree from Skidmore College in 1992. He received his J.D. degree from Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City and was admitted to practice law but was later disbarred.