A driver who was pulled over for speeding on a Georgia highway was left stunned when he received a hefty $1.4 million fine from the police last month.
Connor Cato was stopped after police caught him speeding at 90 mph in a 55 mph zone as he was heading home through Savannah on Sept, 2, he told WSAV-TV.
While he was prepared for a significant fine, Cato was shocked when he was presented with a seven-figure charge.
Initially, he thought it must have been a typo but after calling the court, he was informed he had to pay the sum or appear in court.
"'$1.4 million,' the lady told me on the phone. I said, 'This might be a typo' and she said, 'No, sir, you either pay the amount on the ticket or you come to court on Dec. 21 at 1:30 p.m.,'" he told the outlet.
Sneh Patel, a criminal defense attorney, told WSAV that he had never encountered such a steep penalty for a misdemeanor.
It turned out, however, that the amount was a mere "placeholder" fine Cato was never meant to cover.
As Joshua Peacock, a representative of Savannah's city government, explained, the enormous amount was calculated by automated citation software utilized by the Recorder's Court. The system is typically reserved for "super speeders," or drivers who exceed the speed limit by more than 35 mph, according to the New York Post.
The actual penalty, limited to a maximum of $1,000 plus state-mandated fees, will be determined by a judge during the required court appearance.
"We do not issue that placeholder as a threat to scare anybody into court, even if this person heard differently from somebody in our organization," Peacock said in a statement.
"The programmers who designed the software used the largest number possible because super speeder tickets are a mandatory court appearance and do not have a fine amount attached to them when issued by police."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.