Jason Szenes for The New York Times Jorge Posada slugged a three-run homer in the Yankees' eight-run fourth inning against the Red Sox on Aug. 6, 2009. A city social-services commissioner who attended the game as the guest of a city contractor has been fined $3,000.A former high official of the city's Human Resources Administration was fined $3,000 for accepting luxury-suite tickets to a Yankees-Red Sox game from a vendor trying to win the agency's business, the City Conflicts of Interest Board announ ced on Monday.
The official, Sanford Cohen, an assistant deputy commissioner for management information systems at the agency, stated in a settlement of the case that on Aug. 6, 2009, he attended a Yankees-Red Sox game as a guest of DynTek Services, an information-technology company that had active contracts with the city and was in competitive bidding for other contracts with the agency.
According to the settlement (see also below), the tickets included a suite with food, alcohol and a commemorative polo shirt. Mr. Cohen, whose salary in 2009 was $140,467, took a guest; the value of the two tickets was $1,425.62.
The Yankees thrashed the Red Sox 13-6 that night, driving John Smoltz, the veteran Sox pitcher, from the mound with an eight-run fourth inning in front of what The Times called a “feisty crowd†that filled the stadium for the first time since opening day and watched Muhammad Ali take part in a pregame ceremony. The victory, the Yankees' first over the Sox in nine tries that season, opened up a three-and-a-half game division lead.
The city's conflicts of interest law prohibits public servants from accepting gifts worth more than $50 from anyone doing or seeking to do business with the city. Mr. Cohen, who had worked for the Human Resource Administration since 1997, left its employ in January. It was not immediately clear if his departure was linked to the disciplinary proceeding.
Sanford Cohen Settlement (PDF)
Sanford Cohen Settlement (Text)
