RICHMOND, Va. — Two years ago, then Richmond resident Luu Cuong passed through a toll booth without enough money on her EZPass. Now, years later, the state’s collections agency is telling her she owes thousands of dollars.
“I owe almost $13,000 to collections for the toll violations,” Cuong said.
The incurred fines have resulted in a hold being put on Cuong’s DMV account, preventing her from registering her car and being able to legally drive.
“I had negative $10 in my EZPass account, and the next thing I know I’m calling the court because of the hold and they’re saying it’s in collections and I owe almost $13,000,” Cuong said.
Cuong now realizes that she missed a mandated court appearance due to moving several times.
“They had sent the court tickets to an old address, and I never physically got the tickets,” Cuong said.
Unable to receive an itemized breakdown of the charges, Count reached out to the CBS 6 Problem Solvers to reach out to the RMTA and VDOT for answers.
VDOT officials said Cuong’s fines only amount to $447, and the rest of the charges were court and collection fees.
In July, a new law took effect for drivers with unpaid and excessive toll fees that prevented them from getting their car registered.
Drivers can now go to DMV and pay a $10 fee to get a 30-day extension on their current registration.
The goal? To hopefully buy them enough time to sort out their issue.
