---
title: "NYPD Cop Pleads Guilty to Writing Fake Tickets to Fake People to Get Paid Overtime"
description: "One of the imaginary cyclists Officer Shepard had the cojones of ticketing was named \"Carlos DeJesus.\""
date: "2019-04-01"
modified: "2019-04-01"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/27250/nypd-cop-pleads-guilty-to-writing-fake-tickets-to-fake-people-to-get-paid-overtime"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "NYPD"
  - "police"
---

# NYPD Cop Pleads Guilty to Writing Fake Tickets to Fake People to Get Paid Overtime

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2019/04/GettyImages-1069278738.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

A former officer of the New York Police Department (NYPD) was busted for issuing citations to people who didn't exist for crimes that were never committed. The scam, according to a report by the [*New York Post*](<https://nypost.com/2019/03/30/nypd-cop-resigns-after-writing-phony-ticket-for-made-up-cyclist/>), was to claim these infractions were happening when overtime applied to his pay rate. In other words, he was milking the clock.

Forty-nine-year-old Varon Shepard pleaded guilty in a Manhattan Criminal Court last week to filing a "false instrument," according to the original report. It's not outlined how many times Shepard had done this, but one specific and recent example as used as [proof or his wrongdoings](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/25242/cops-chase-tesla-model-s-for-7-miles-driver-supposedly-asleep-after-drinking-too-much>).

Shepard's supervisor claims that during one specific instance, Shepard was observed inside the 17th Precinct station house in Manhattan until 12:45 p.m. on Feb. 25. However, a citation issued to a cyclist named "Carlos DeJesus" was dated Feb. 25th at 11:00 a.m., meaning that DeJesus had to be [riding his bicycle](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/24861/11-year-old-boy-leads-cops-on-second-high-speed-chase-after-mom-takes-away-playstation>) inside the building or the whole thing was a fake. Obviously, it wasn't hard to figure out which one of those was true.

No DeJesus was found at the made-up address listed on the citation, and Shepard was given a conditional discharge from the NYPD. The only condition? To quit his job.

Several NYPD officers have been on the spotlight recently for a variety of shenanigans. Earlier last month, we reported about a [reckless NYC cop who had racked up 75 speeding tickets](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/27018/reckless-nyc-cop-got-75-tickets-in-two-years-in-his-own-dodge-grand-caravan>) in two years, with 53 of them being for speeding, and several others for running red lights.

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)