|
02-24-09
FORMER HEAD OF PURCHASING FOR THE Mt. VERNON
CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT SENTENCED TO STATE PRISON
Westchester
County District Attorney Janet DiFiore announced
that Arthur Rose (DOB 1/22/59) of 22
Pease Street, Mount Vernon, New York was
sentenced today to two indeterminate terms of
three and one half to seven years in state
prison, to be served concurrently, on his
conviction after trial to:
-
two counts of
Bribe Receiving, in the Third Degree, a class
“D” Felonies,
-
three counts of
Official Misconduct, class “A” Misdemeanors
-
one count of
Receiving Unlawful Gratuities, a class “A”
Misdemeanor
Between June 21st and July 13th,
2005, Rose, the former head of purchasing for
the Mount Vernon City School District, agreed to
accept and accepted a bribe of $3,500 from a
sales representative of Ricoh Americas
Corporation for his assurance that Ricoh would
receive a five year contract from the Mount
Vernon
School District
for 73 digital copiers, support products and
related services.
On August 3rd, 2005, upon the
defendant’s recommendation, the
Mount Vernon City School
District awarded the contract to Ricoh. The cost
of the contract was in excess of one million
dollars.
Between June 1,
2006 and September 1, 2006, Rose solicited and
accepted a bribe in the form of a $10,000
donation to his church – Upon This Rock
Ministries - from the owner of a Tri-State
Supply Company, a custodial supply company, in
exchange for future business which was
subsequently awarded.
The
Investigations Division of the New York State
Comptroller’s office assisted in the
investigation.
“As a public
official entrusted with taxpayer money, this
defendant, in his capacity as the head of
purchasing for the Mount Vernon school system,
instead of looking to maximize the value of the
goods and services provided to the system,
looked out only for his own self interest,”
commented District Attorney Janet DiFiore after
the sentencing.
“While a state
prison sentence should serve to hold Mr. Rose
accountable for his direct actions, his
contribution to the continuing erosion of the
public’s confidence in government, in addition
to the actual monetary loss, will take far
longer to reconcile.”
As a predicate
felon, the defendant was sentenced as a second
felony offender.
Additionally, after the Court rendered sentence
for this conviction, the defendant admitted to a
violation of probation arising out of the
conviction in this case. The defendant had been
on probation from a 2004 conviction in New York
County to Grand Larceny in the Third Degree.
Sentencing on the
VOP will be on March 24th, 2009.
Assistant
District Attorney Brian Conway, Deputy Chief of
the Public Integrity Bureau, and Assistant
District Attorney Berit Hayes-Huseby of the
Public Integrity Bureau, prosecuted the case. |
