Houston Police Arrest Three NRG Park Parking Attendants Accused of Stealing from Over 7,000 Customers
In a shocking scheme, thousands of people who paid to park at Houston's NRG Park were unwittingly scammed by two rogue parking attendants and one who was previously arrested for his role in the alleged fraud. The attendants used Square payment devices to collect payments, but instead of using them to process legitimate transactions, they operated their own personal accounts, siphoning millions of dollars from unsuspecting customers.
According to investigators, Reginald Smith, Vincent Ward, and Taelor Miller racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges between December 2024 and March 2025. Smith alone was responsible for $25,970 in theft, while Ward and Miller added another $58,523 and $126,513, respectively.
Police say the scam began as early as August 2024, when a Texans fan who paid to park was turned away and told he'd been scammed by one of the attendants. A parking manager at NRG Park had also reported similar issues with the same attendant.
The authorities set up a sting operation on March 19, which led to Smith's arrest and subsequent revelation that his accomplices were Ward and Miller. The three men are now facing charges related to their alleged roles in the scheme.
In response to the scandal, NRG Park has provided tips for parking customers to avoid similar scams: confirm the posted parking price, scan the official QR code displayed on signage, and pre-purchase parking online if possible. If you suspect fraudulent activity, contact [email protected].
This is a disturbing case of exploitation by those entrusted with customer payments, and authorities are working to ensure that all customers can park safely at NRG Park without fear of financial loss.
In a shocking scheme, thousands of people who paid to park at Houston's NRG Park were unwittingly scammed by two rogue parking attendants and one who was previously arrested for his role in the alleged fraud. The attendants used Square payment devices to collect payments, but instead of using them to process legitimate transactions, they operated their own personal accounts, siphoning millions of dollars from unsuspecting customers.
According to investigators, Reginald Smith, Vincent Ward, and Taelor Miller racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges between December 2024 and March 2025. Smith alone was responsible for $25,970 in theft, while Ward and Miller added another $58,523 and $126,513, respectively.
Police say the scam began as early as August 2024, when a Texans fan who paid to park was turned away and told he'd been scammed by one of the attendants. A parking manager at NRG Park had also reported similar issues with the same attendant.
The authorities set up a sting operation on March 19, which led to Smith's arrest and subsequent revelation that his accomplices were Ward and Miller. The three men are now facing charges related to their alleged roles in the scheme.
In response to the scandal, NRG Park has provided tips for parking customers to avoid similar scams: confirm the posted parking price, scan the official QR code displayed on signage, and pre-purchase parking online if possible. If you suspect fraudulent activity, contact [email protected].
This is a disturbing case of exploitation by those entrusted with customer payments, and authorities are working to ensure that all customers can park safely at NRG Park without fear of financial loss.
this whole thing just goes to show how easily we get caught up in trusting people who have power over us - like a parking attendant or security guard. it's like they become our own personal gatekeepers, and if they're doing the scam, then we're the ones who've been scammed 
. we need to be more vigilant, you know? keep an eye out for suspicious activity and don't just blindly trust that everything is okay because someone in a uniform says it's true 
. life's full of people playing both sides, so we gotta stay woke 
! How could they do that to so many innocent people?! I mean, I know they're getting caught and all, but it's still hard to believe that these guys were able to get away with it for so long. 
On the bright side, I'm glad NRG Park is taking steps to protect their customers now. Those tips are super helpful! 
these guys gotta be outta their minds! stealing from thousands of people just for personal gain 
Newsflash: you can't scam a whole lot of people and get away with it forever!
Don't make me have to come over there and teach you how to park without getting scammed! 
this is just heartbreaking... I feel so bad for the thousands of people who got scammed 
. These guys were like, entrusted with our money 
. It's not cool at all. I mean, I'm glad they got caught and are facing charges but the damage is done 
. NRG Park should totally be more on top of this stuff too 
. Pre-purchase parking online or scanning a QR code? That's just basic 
. Anyway, gotta give props to the authorities for getting these guys 
...
. I mean, how hard is it to actually process payments through the official system? It's not like these guys were just messing around, they knew exactly what they were doing. And $300k in theft is a pretty big haul for some low-level parking attendants. NRG Park needs to take a closer look at their hiring practices and make sure they're not attracting people with a history of shady dealings 
this is just crazy... how do u even get away with scamming thousands of people? 
. I'm all for them taking steps to prevent this from happening again, but it's just frustrating that it had to come down like this 
