The Jamaica man who was linked to alleged fraudulent Staten Island Ferry tickets last week is taking legal action, according to the lawyer representing him.
Attorney Kareem Vessup, speaking at a press conference outside his Jamaica office on Thursday, said Gregory Reddick and SJQ Sightseeing Tours have pending legal action against the city “and no less than 11” members of the NYPD and city park police.
Reddick and Corey Lashley, founder of SJQ Tours, also were at the press conference. They allege that the company and its workers are the targets of a vendetta by law enforcement and city officials who do not want them plying their trade near the water on lower Manhattan.
Vessup also said they are examining the possibility of legal action against news organizations that they say used false accusations that Reddick tried to sell tickets to the free Staten Island Ferry for as much as $200 apiece.
The complaint against Reddick from the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. claims that he was vending tickets illegally near Pier 15 on May 27, and that he pushed a Parks enforcement officer to get away when challenged.
The complaint said he led officers on a chase and resisted arrest before being hit with pepper spray.
He has been charged with second-degree obstructing government administration, resisting arrest, unlawful vending and disorderly conduct.
None of the charges are related to previously published accusations that he sold nonexistent tickets to the Staten Island Ferry for an exorbitant price.
Lashley said the group sells tickets for boat rides that go around certain sites in New York Harbor, such as the Statue of Liberty and Governor’s Island.
All who spoke said the company does not sell tickets to the ferry as it was first alleged Reddick did.
“And they are clearly marked $28,” Lashley said, holding up a copy of a ticket that Vessup earlier had handed the Chronicle for examination.
Lashley also said his company and his workers have been subjected to “borderline harassment” from law enforcement authorities over vending permits that he said courts and administrative law judges say are not needed.
“Parks has given us more than 150 tickets, summonses and citations worth $250 to $1,000,” he said. “And every time, they have been dismissed.”
Reddick said he has been hurt by the release of his past criminal record.
“The charges against me are false,” he said. “My rap sheet is real. But I’ve spent more than nine years turning my life around. I have a job. I pay taxes. ... It’s better than McDonald’s money. It’s better than Burger King money.”
He said authorities were impressed enough to end is parole period early.
Vessup does not believe that the appearance of Reddick’s record in the press was by luck or by accident.
Reddick was joined by more than two dozen other company employees. And Lashley acknowledged that some of his employees are ex-convicts; he said one of his goals when starting the company was to provide second-chance opportunities for those who, like himself have been through the criminal justice system.
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