COIB Settlements Announced

 

The New York City Conflicts of Interest Board (the “Board”) announces three settlements involving violations of the conflicts of interest law’s post-employment restrictions: the prohibition, for most former public servants, on communicating, for compensation, with their former City agency for one year after leaving City service (the “Post-Employment Communication Ban”), and the prohibition on a former public servant receiving compensation for work on a particular matter in which they had participated personally and substantially as a public servant (the “Post-Employment Particular Matter Ban”).

 

Post-Employment Communication Ban.  A former Chief of Staff to a New York City Council Member communicated on 45 occasions with Council Members and Council Staff on behalf of his new employer, Maimonides Health, within five months of leaving City service. He requested the repurposing of capital funding allocated by the Council, invited Council Members to attend Maimonides ribbon-cutting ceremonies, and discussed joint events with Council Members’ offices as well as other partnerships between Maimonides and the City Council. To resolve his violations, the former Chief of Staff agreed to pay a $7,000 fine. In setting the fine, the Board took into consideration that the former Chief of Staff had self-reported more than half of his violations after the Board commenced an enforcement action against him. The Disposition is attached as “COIB Disposition (City Council).”

 

Post-Employment Communication Ban. Five months after leaving City service, a former Lieutenant Detective Commander at the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) met with his former NYPD colleagues on behalf of his new employer, RapidSOS, to attempt to sell a RapidSOS product to NYPD. Shortly after the meeting, the former Lieutenant Detective Commander sent a follow-up email to a former NYPD colleague to request future meetings. To resolve his violations, the former Lieutenant Detective Commander agreed to pay a $4,000 fine. The Disposition is attached as “COIB Disposition (NYPD).”

 

Post-Employment Particular Matter Ban. In 2018, an Agency Attorney for the New York City Department of Education (“DOE”) drafted the legal terms of an extension of a bus contract with the pupil transportation company GVC. In June 2018, the Agency Attorney left DOE; in 2024, she began working for GVC. While at GVC, the former Agency Attorney reviewed the work performed by GVC under the same 2018 extension to determine whether DOE owed additional money to GVC. To resolve her violation, the former Agency Attorney paid a $1,500 fine. The Disposition is attached as “COIB Disposition (DOE).”