Eric Goldstein, Bribery and Bribery Conspiracy, New York 2023

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Table of Contents

Ex NYC DOE CEO Sentenced to 2 Years for Bribery and Corruption

Eric Goldstein, the former Chief Executive Officer of the New York City Department of Education’s (NYC DOE) Office of School Support Services, was sentenced to 2 years in prison for multiple counts of bribery and bribery conspiracy.

Goldstein, along with three business owners, Blaine Iler, Michael Turley, and Brian Twomey, of SOMMA Food Group (SOMMA), were convicted by a federal jury in June 2023 following a four-week trial.

The four defendants were sentenced by U.S. Circuit Judge Denny Chin sitting by designation. Iler was sentenced to 12 months and a day along with a $10,000 fine, Turley to 15 months, and Twomey to 15 months and a $10,000 fine.

The corruption scheme involved Goldstein accepting nearly $100,000 in bribes from his co-defendants to ensure that the NYC DOE purchased and served SOMMA’s products to thousands of schoolchildren. The products included chicken tenders that were found to contain foreign objects, including plastic.

The largest bribe payment was made in the fall of 2016, when SchoolFood had stopped serving SOMMA’s chicken tenders because a NYC DOE employee choked on a bone that had not been removed from a SOMMA chicken tender.

‘Eric Goldstein corruptly abused his high-ranking position of trust as a public official and pursued lucrative bribes at the expense of school children,’ stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. ‘Today’s jail sentences should serve as a lesson to these defendants and others that public corruption will be punished.’

The FBI is committed to targeting public officials who prioritize illicit financial compensation over the health and well-being of our city’s schoolchildren. The sentences should serve as a warning to those who abuse their positions of power.