'Uber Driver' Charged With Felony In Montauk

A man who was apparently working for Uber as a driver in Montauk this past weekend was arrested by East Hampton Town police on a felony charge of driving without a license.

Arman Belassarov, 31, of Cliffside Park, NJ, had allegedly stopped his 2014 Toyota in the middle of Main Street in Montauk a little before 3 AM, Saturday, June 29, near the Memory Motel and the Point, at a time when a constant stream of revelers jump in and out of cabs, as the bars in downtown Montauk approach closing time. An East Hampton Town police officer wrote Belassarov up for blocking traffic by stopping in the middle of the road.

That ticket is the least of Belassarov’s legal worries. When police ran his license, 44 suspensions or revocations came cascading out of the system. According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Belassarov has racked up dozens of suspensions, most of which still appear to be in place, for various alleged offenses, such as failure to appear in court to respond to tickets or failure to pay fines.

His DMV abstract shows a list of convictions between 2016 and 2017 that added a total of 66 points to Belassarov’s license. In addition, his license was revoked three times over during that same time period as he accumulated multiple speeding ticket convictions. The tickets were accumulated mostly In New York City.

Besides the felony charge, he was charged with driving an uninsured, unregistered vehicle. The Toyota was impounded by East Hampton Town police.

Placed under arrest, he was brought into court to be arraigned Saturday, June 29, in front of East Hampton Town Justice Lisa Rana. “He is working here as an Uber driver,” Carl Irace, who was representing Belassarov for the arraignment, told Rana. “He is hustling to make money.”

Rana looked at Belassarov. “I can tell you now, the way you are not going to be making money is by driving,” with a heavy emphasis on the word “not.” After setting bail at $2000, Rana warned Belassarov that if he has any more arrests, or any failures to appear in court, “the bail will change significantly.”

Bail was posted for Belassarov, who will return to court Wednesday, July 3.

t.e@indyeastend.com