Former New York City Department of Education CEO of School Support Services and Three Business Owners Sentenced to Prison for Corruption and Bribery

Press Release

Corrupt City Official Eric Goldstein Accepted Nearly $100,000 in Bribe Payments from His Co-Defendants

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Eric Goldstein, the former Chief Executive Officer of the New York City Department of Education's (NYC DOE) Office of School Support Services, and Blaine Iler, Michael Turley and Brian Twomey, the owners of SOMMA Food Group (SOMMA), were sentenced by U.S. Circuit Judge Denny Chin sitting by designation to prison terms for multiple counts of bribery and bribery conspiracy relating to programs receiving federal funds. Goldstein was sentenced to 2 years, Iler to 12 months a day along with a $10,000 fine, Turley to 15 months, and Twomey to 15 months and a $10,000 fine. The four defendants were convicted by a federal jury in June 2023 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 corruptly abused his high-ranking position of trust as a public official and pursued lucrative bribes at the expense of school children, many of whom rely on healthy meals provided by the New York City Department of Education," stated United States Attorney Peace. "Great responsibility came with overseeing the school system's food operations, but shamefully, Goldstein prioritized lining his pockets with payoffs from his co-defendants to ensure the DOE purchased their products and that their food stayed in the schools even after plastic, bones and metal were found in the chicken served to schoolchildren and teachers. Today's jail sentences 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."

FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Curtis stated: "Eric Goldstein abused his position as the CEO of New York City's Department of Education to accept nearly $100,000 in bribes from co-defendants to knowingly serve unfit lunch choices for consumption to students and teachers. Goldstein ignored numerous complaints from the school and valued personal profits over the wellbeing of our city's schoolchildren, allowing them to ingest plastic and other inedible items. May today's sentencing reiterate the FBI's continued determination to target any public official who prioritizes illicit financial compensation over the health of our city."

In 2015 and 2016, Iler, Turley and Twomey entered into a corrupt arrangement with Goldstein, whereby SOMMA would provide the capital to a business named Range Meats Supply Co. (RMSCO). Specifically, over a period of 14 months, Iler, Turley and Twomey transferred approximately $96,670 to RMSCO for Goldstein's benefit, including payments to Goldstein's divorce attorney and father. In exchange, Goldstein, who served as the CEO of the NYC DOE's Office of Food and Nutrition Services (SchoolFood), 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. Goldstein also made sure that SchoolFood's approval of SOMMA's products was expedited and that disputes between SOMMA and the NYC DOE were resolved in SOMMA's favor.

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, who, as CEO, had final approval as to whether and when SOMMA's chicken tenders would be allowed back in schools, 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. Following weeks of negotiations, on November 29, 2016, Iler, Turley and Twomey agreed to pay the bribe Goldstein was soliciting and, one day later, on November 30, 2016, Goldstein approved reintroduction of SOMMA's chicken products in schools. SOMMA's products were served in schools until April 2017 when, following repeated complaints from students and staff that the chicken tenders continued to contain foreign objects, SchoolFood decided to remove all SOMMA food products from New York City public schools.

The government's case is being handled by the Office's Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States <_w3a_sdt docpart="6DDC6017CB714BC6BEDB8C9AC252CD4F" dropdown="t" id="1984970752"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Choose an item."> <_w3a_listitem datavalue="Attorney" listvalue="Attorney"> <_w3a_listitem datavalue="Attorneys" listvalue="Attorneys"> Attorneys Robert Polemeni, Andrew Grubin, Laura Zuckerwise and Kaitlin McTague are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Kavya Kannan and Rachel Friedman.

The <_w3a_sdt docpart="7390045E1BA1494E8EA85ABFDB1ECEB2" dropdown="t" id="-1984298414"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Choose an item."> <_w3a_listitem datavalue="Defendant" listvalue="Defendant"> <_w3a_listitem datavalue="Defendants" listvalue="Defendants"> Defendants:

ERIC GOLDSTEIN
Age: 56
New Rochelle, New York

BLAINE ILER
Age: 37
Dallas, Texas

MICHAEL TURLEY
Age: 54
Fayetteville, Arkansas

BRIAN TWOMEY
Age: 51
Dallas, Texas

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-550 (DC)

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Updated September 9, 2024