NYC Transit Cop Arrested After Hotel Visits With At-Risk Teen: AG

PORT AUTHORITY, NY — A Port Authority cop used his position to pursue a homeless teen he was meant to protect then used city resources to book their hotel rooms, the Attorney General's office contends.

Telly Simmonds, 47, stands accused of using work-related resources to book hotel rooms with the 19-year-old woman and submitting false police reports to hide his behavior, Attorney General Letitia James announced Friday.

“Taking advantage of a young, at-risk woman seeking help is one of the most despicable things an officer of the law can do,” James said in a news release. “Simmonds allegedly abused the power of his badge and the Port Authority in order to engage in and conceal an inappropriate relationship."

Simmonds met the 19-year-old in the spring of 2018 when he was working in the Youth Services Unit, which was established to help young runaways at the Port Authority Bus Terminal who may be in danger of exploitation, according to a news release from James.

The woman was brought into Simmonds office, where he took down her name, phone number, and other information, James said.

Simmonds began texting the 19-year-old woman regularly, and on April 1, 2018, took her to a Times Square hotel using a Port Authority voucher, which is supposed to only be used for work-related tasks, according to the attorney general.

Later that month, the young woman left her New York City shelter, citing safety concerns, and moved to one in Philadelphia, the state prosecutor said.

Simmonds repeatedly texted the teen, urging her to come back to the city, then took matters into his own hands, according to James.

The transit cop filled out a false police report on April 18 claiming that he had met the woman at the bus terminal that same morning, and helped her get on the subway, James said.

After his shift ended, Simmonds drove to the Philadelphia shelter and told employees he was on official duty for Port Authority Police, according to James.

Simmonds took the 19-year-old woman and dropped her off at another shelter in The Bronx, the news release states.

The Philadelphia shelter staff thought something was wrong about the situation and reached out to the FBI, according to the press release.

The investigation was eventually handed off to the Attorney General's office.

Simmonds was arraigned Friday on two counts of tampering with public records, offering a false instrument for filing, and four counts of official misconduct.

If convicted, he would serve two to seven years in jail, according to the attorney general.