Fugitive Cabbie Extradited to NYC on Fraud Charges

A fugitive New York City taxi driver accused of ripping off passengers in one of the city's largest cab scams has been arrested in Missouri.  

Authorities say Wasim Khalid Cheema was returned to the city Tuesday after spending months on the lam. He was picked up three weeks ago in Kansas City, Mo., and faces charges of scheming to defraud more than 2,500 riders of nearly $12,000.     

He's in custody and can't be reached for comment. It's unclear if he has a lawyer.     

Cheema's taxi driver's license was revoked last year after investigators accused him of scamming passengers by setting his meter at the rate drivers can use for trips to the suburbs, which is double the city rate.     

Forty-five cab drivers have pleaded guilty in the scheme and have been sentenced.