A Manhattan court has charged 59 cabbies of cheating some 77,000 riders in the most "widespread con operation" in the industry's history.

According to The New York Post, District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. hit 45 of them with the felony charge of scheming to defraud by charging the double-rate suburban fare for rides within the city from November 2008 to June 2010, which is punishable by up to four years in prison.