LIRR official secured job for son with companies doing business with railroad, MTA report finds

A former Long Island Rail Road official seeking a job for his son asked for help from six companies doing business with the railroad, according to an MTA inspector general's report.

The 12-page report, released Wednesday, described the official as former assistant chief program officer-railroad program support but did not name him. It also did not name the vendors. The report concluded the official violated an MTA prohibition against soliciting gifts and the state’s public officer law, and that the vendors violated MTA ethics code by not reporting the official’s requests.

According to the report, the job search — for which the official sometimes used his Metropolitan Transportation Authority email account to send his son’s resume — resulted in a job for the son at one of the companies while the official continued to oversee the company’s work for the MTA.

Later, when the company’s general counsel discovered email exchanges between the official and a company employee, both the son and the employee were fired, according to the report.

"MTA officials are entrusted to act in the public interest, not to use their positions for personal gain, such as finding jobs for their children," said MTA Inspector General Daniel Cort. "This Long Island Rail Road official abused that trust and violated the MTA’s ethical standards with his conduct. Vendors for the MTA have a duty to immediately report unethical requests like this."

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By Nicholas Spangler

nicholas.spangler@newsday.comspanglernewsday

Nicholas Spangler is a general assignment reporter and has worked at Newsday since 2010.