Former NY prison food service official accused of steering contracts to get benefits, parties
By APTuesday, August 31, 2010
Probe: NY prison official steered food contracts
ALBANY, N.Y. — State investigators say the former director of food services for New York’s prisons took favors including three-day picnics and other parties in exchange for steering contracts to vendors.
Some of the companies given contracts were prohibited from doing business with the state.
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and Inspector General Joseph Fisch say Howard Dean, who retired in 2008, benefited from the arrangements and created a culture that led subordinates to accept the practice.
Dean was accused in April of skipping Friday work shifts for 17 years and fraudulently collecting pay for the time off. DiNapoli and Fisch said upper management looked the other way.
Dean didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday morning.
