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Former NYC Education Official, Business Owners Sentenced to Prison for Bribery
Brooklyn, New York – In a shocking case of 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 bribery. Along with him, Blaine Iler, Michael Turley, and Brian Twomey, the owners of SOMMA Food Group (SOMMA), received their sentences for multiple counts of bribery and bribery conspiracy related to programs receiving federal funds.
On June 2023, a federal jury convicted the four defendants following a four-week trial. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentences.
Eric Goldstein, the former CEO, was found guilty of corruptly abusing his high-ranking position of trust as a public official and pursuing lucrative bribes at the expense of school children. He received a prison term of 2 years for his crimes.
Blaine Iler, Michael Turley, and Brian Twomey, the owners of SOMMA, were also found guilty of bribery and bribery conspiracy. Blaine Iler was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison, along with a $10,000 fine. Michael Turley received a 15-month prison term, while Brian Twomey was sentenced to 15 months in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The corrupt arrangement between Goldstein and the SOMMA owners involved a business named Range Meats Supply Co. (RMSCO). Over a period of 14 months, Iler, Turley, and Twomey transferred approximately $96,670 to RMSCO for Goldstein’s benefit, including payments to his divorce attorney and father. In exchange, Goldstein used his position to ensure that the NYC DOE purchased and served SOMMA’s products to thousands of schoolchildren, including 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. Goldstein delayed making any decision until Iler, Turley, and Twomey had agreed to transfer SOMMA’s ownership interest in RMSCO to him, as well as to transfer $66,670 to a bank account in RMSCO’s name that Goldstein had opened and controlled.
The sentences handed down should serve as a lesson to these defendants and others that public corruption, especially acts that jeopardize the well-being of our children, will be punished. The FBI continues to target any public official who prioritizes illicit financial compensation over the health of our city.
Defendant: Eric Goldstein
Criminal Charges: Bribery and Bribery Conspiracy
City and State: Brooklyn, New York
Exact Date: June 2023
Sentence: 2 years in prison
Dollar Amounts: $96,670 in bribe payments
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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