- Former DCAMM Employee Robert Gray pays $5,000 Civil Penalty for Violating Conflict of Interest Law
Robert Gray, a former project engineer for the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), has paid a $5,000 civil penalty for violating the conflict of interest law by routinely using his state position to obtain cars DCAMM rented for work purposes for his personal, non-work-related travel. Gray signed a Disposition Agreement in which he admitted to the violations and waived his right to a hearing. - Cheshire Town Clerk Christine Emerson pays $5,000 Civil Penalty for Violating Conflict of Interest Law
Cheshire Town Clerk Christine Emerson has paid a $5,000 civil penalty for violating the conflict of interest law by hiring her daughter and granddaughter to perform work for the town on multiple occasions. Emerson signed a Disposition Agreement in which she admitted to the violations and waived her right to a hearing. - Former CHIA and EOTSS Employee Brooke Merkin Pays $2,500 Civil Penalty for Violating Conflict of Interest Law
The Commission issued a Final Order allowing a Joint Motion to Dismiss and approving a Disposition Agreement in which Brooke Merkin, a former employee of the Center for Health Information and Analysis and the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security, admits to violating sections 7, 23(b)(2)(ii), and 23(b)(4) of the conflict of interest law by holding the two paid state positions at the same time and seeking payment from both state agencies for overlapping work hours. The Commission accepted Merkin’s payment of a $2,500 civil penalty and dismissed the adjudicatory proceeding against her. - State Ethics Commission Finds Aquinnah Select Board Member Gary Haley Violated Conflict of Interest Law
The State Ethics Commission has issued a Final Decision and Order finding that Aquinnah Select Board member Gary Haley violated the conflict of interest law by selecting himself to install underground conduits for utility wires for the town and by approving the town’s payment of his $17,445 invoice for the work. The Commission ordered Haley to pay a $10,000 civil penalty for the violations. - State Ethics Commission Dismisses Case Against Worcester County DA Joseph D. Early Jr., Senior First Assistant DA Jeffrey Travers, Former State Police Colonel Richard McKeon, and Former State Police Major Susan Anderson
The State Ethics Commission has issued a Final Decision and Order dismissing its case against Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., Senior First Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Travers, former State Police Colonel Richard McKeon, and former State Police Major Susan Anderson after finding that it had not been proved that they violated the conflict of interest law by their actions relating to the police report of the arrest of a judge’s daughter. - Superior Court Ruling Affirms State Ethics Commission Decision that Former State Auditor’s Office Consultant Jeffrey Fournier Violated Conflict of Interest Law
In a decision issued this week in Suffolk Superior Court, Justice Christine M. Roach has affirmed the State Ethics Commission’s 2021 decision that Jeffrey Fournier, a former consultant to the Office of the State Auditor, violated the conflict of interest law by attempting to sell his private company’s services to two state agencies in response to the findings of an OSA audit, and by using or attempting to use his position as an OSA consultant to gain access to decision makers in those agencies. The Suffolk Superior Court decision upholds the Commission’s determination that, as a consultant who personally provided professional, highly specialized services to OSA, Fournier was a state employee for purposes of the conflict of interest law and was therefore subject to the law. - Former Sandisfield Highway Road Superintendent Robert O’Brien Pays $50,000 Civil Penalty for Violating Conflict of Interest Law
The State Ethics Commission has issued a Final Order approving a Disposition Agreement in which former Sandisfield Highway Road Superintendent Robert O’Brien admits to repeatedly violating the conflict of interest law by deciding to hire his private business to provide services to the town more than 90 times, signing off on town payments to his business more than 40 times, using inside town information to underbid competitors for a town contract, using his public position to solicit private work, and having the town billed for materials his business used to do private jobs. - Wareham Public Schools Employee Melissa Fay pays $4,000 Civil Penalty for Violating Conflict of Interest Law
Wareham Public Schools Director of Student Services Melissa Fay paid a $4,000 civil penalty for violating the conflict of interest law by hiring her mother and participating in hiring her son for jobs in the school district. - State Ethics Commission Issues Public Education Letter to Environmental Police Major Kevin Clayton
The State Ethics Commission issued a Public Education Letter to Massachusetts Environmental Police Major Kevin Clayton after finding reasonable cause to believe he violated the conflict of interest law by providing an attorney with whom he is friendly the opportunity to promote his private law practice at a mandatory MEP training. - State Ethics Commission’s Enforcement Division Alleges Former EOTSS and CHIA Employee Brooke Merkin Violated Conflict of Interest Law
The State Ethics Commission’s Enforcement Division issued an Order to Show Cause alleging that Brooke Merkin, a former employee of the Center for Health Information and Analysis and the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security, violated the conflict of interest law by holding both state positions simultaneously and seeking payment from the Commonwealth for working both positions during the same hours, which would have resulted in her being paid for 31 hours she did not work. - Former MassHealth Official Stacia Castro pays $6,000 Civil Penalty for Violating Conflict of Interest Law
Stacia Castro, a former director of the MassHealth Specialty Provider Network, has paid a $6,000 civil penalty for violating the conflict of interest law by, while a state employee, soliciting and receiving free Boston Red Sox tickets and other things of value from the contractor administering the MassHealth dental program. Castro signed a Disposition Agreement in which she admitted to the violations and waived her right to a hearing. - Former Medford Police Chief Leo Sacco pays $9,000 Civil Penalty for Violating Conflict of Interest Law
Former Medford Police Chief Leo Sacco has paid a $9,000 civil penalty for violating the conflict of interest law by failing to appropriately discipline Medford police officers who made false claims for detail pay, not requiring the them to return more than $17,000 in falsely claimed detail pay, and concealing the matter from the mayor. Sacco signed a Disposition Agreement in which he admitted the violations and waived his right to a hearing. - Former Hampden County Regional Retirement Board Member Richard Theroux pays $10,000 Civil Penalty for Violating Conflict of Interest Law
Former Hampden County Regional Retirement Board Member Richard Theroux has paid a $10,000 civil penalty for violating the conflict of interest law by obtaining reimbursements from the Board for falsely claimed lodging expenses and, as a Board member, approving those reimbursements to himself. Theroux signed a Disposition Agreement in which he admitted to the violations and waived his right to a hearing. - Former Blackstone Selectman Daniel Keefe pays $4,500 Civil Penalty for Violating Conflict of Interest Law
Former Blackstone Selectman Daniel Keefe has paid a $4,500 civil penalty for violating the conflict of interest law by, as a selectman, discussing proposed stipends and pay raises for town employees including his spouse, and later criticizing a town investigation into his actions. Keefe signed a Disposition Agreement in which he admitted to the violations and waived his right to a hearing. - State Ethics Commission Issues Public Education Letter to Hampden-Wilbraham Schools Superintendent Albert Ganem
The State Ethics Commission issued a Public Education Letter to Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District Superintendent Albert Ganem after finding reasonable cause to believe he violated the conflict of interest law by participating in the hiring of his spouse and daughter to positions in the school district. - State Ethics Commission’s Enforcement Division Alleges Former Sandisfield Highway Road Superintendent Robert O’Brien Violated Conflict of Interest Law
The State Ethics Commission’s Enforcement Division issued an Order to Show Cause alleging that former Sandisfield Highway Road Superintendent Robert O’Brien violated the conflict of interest law on multiple occasions, including by awarding town contracts to his private construction business, doing private work on town time, charging the town for materials his business used to do private work, and making false claims for compensation from the town.
2022 State Ethics Commission Press Releases