|
 OSWEGO--Former Oswego Mayor John Gosek spent $3,500 in city funds from January 2003 to September 2005 for questionable or unnecessary expenses, including meals, alcohol, travel, hundreds of dollars of directory assistance calls and other miscellaneous charges that had little or no documentation to justify the purpose of the expenses, according to a report released Tuesday by New York State Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi.
Gosek, whose term wasn't due to expire until 2007, resigned from his position in September, five days after he was arrested in a FBI sting operation, charged with allegedly giving a woman $250 to arrange a sexual tryst with teenage girls at a motel near Syracuse. He had been under investigation for some time, according to police.
A federal grand jury handed down a two-count indictment against Gosek in November for allegedly soliciting sex from the two 15-year-old girls.
Gosek was later charged for allegedly trying to solicit sex from a 14-year-old girl during the fall of 2004. Both counts allege that the former mayor used a phone to "persuade, induce, entice and coerce girls under the age of 18 to engage in sexual activity".
According to the audit, the phone he used was paid for by taxpayers.
The Comptroller's Office reviewed the expenses of the former mayor at the request of the City Council following his resignation in September 2005. The review started in October and examined approximately $29,000 in cell phone and credit card charges by Gosek as well as expenditures made from a miscellaneous expenditure account.
"As mayor, John Gosek abused the taxpayer's trust and misused their money," Hevesi said. "We take a zero-tolerance approach to local officials who abuse their position and use public money for their own benefit. I urge the city council to aggressively pursue the recovery of any money that was inappropriately spent by the former mayor and to be more diligent in ensuring that public money is protected."
Among the $3,500 in questionable or unnecessary expenses identified:
--$1,000 for Meals and Alcohol. The mayor attended several overnight conferences where meals were included in the registration cost, yet he submitted meal expenses that were paid by the city. For example, while attending a February 2003 conference in Albany, the mayor spent $139 at a restaurant and $120 for room service, as well as $25 at a Hooters restaurant in February 2004 at a time when the conference he was attending was in session. Several meal claims failed to indicate the business reason for the expense, and many of these claims included alcoholic beverages.
--$980 Payment to a Former Employee. In February 2003 a $980 payment was made to one of the mayor's former executive assistant for public relations services. The claim was approved by the mayor rather than the Council's Administrative Services Committee as is typically required by the city's procedures and the check was signed by the city chamberlain. A required Internal Revenue Service 1099 form was never issued for this payment.
--$725 for Miscellaneous Expenses. Fifteen expense claims had no supporting documentation, including $209 paid to an Alexandria Bay resort and $63 paid to a local floral shop.
--$500 in Directory Assistance Charges. The city paid $5,900 for the mayor's cell phone during the period reviewed. The acting mayor informed auditors that the former mayor had been verbally authorized to use his city-issued cell phone for personal use. While long distance charges were minimal and the cost to provide the service did not increase during the period examined, the city paid about $500 in directory assistance charges to cover 379 instances when the mayor used this service. In addition, auditors noted that his cell phone minute usage increased by 329% from 2003 to 2005.
--$176 in Credit Card Late Fees. The city paid some credit card bills late because officials were waiting for the mayor to provide receipts.
--$115 in Sales Tax. Three hotel claims included the payment of $115.92 in sales tax even though the city is exempt from paying sales tax.
Auditors found that the Oswego Common Council had not established travel, credit card or cell phone policies and that the Council's Administrative Services Committee approved several questionable expense claims submitted by the mayor.
Auditors recommended that the city council seek reimbursement for any inappropriate charges. To ensure that expenses are for a legitimate business purpose, auditors recommended that the city council adopt policies for travel, meal and credit card expenses, including what expenses are allowed and for how much, as well as a policy governing cell phone usage. The Council's Administrative Services Committee should require that every claim contain supporting documentation and be properly reviewed to ensure that expenses are appropriate and do not include sales tax charges.http://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/audits/2005/cities/oswego.pdf
If Gosek is convicted of the charges for which he has been indicted, he faces from 5 to 30 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
Other Oswego public officials have also been criminally charged in unrelated matters.. http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/102905OswegoPolice.html and http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/101405OswegoPolice.html
Oswego's police chief, William Ruggio, has been placed on an indefinite administrative leave the day after federal agents raided his home looking for stolen property. No criminal charges have yet been filed against Ruggio although state police and the FBI removed three snowmobiles, an all-terrain vehicle and records from Ruggio's property.
The city parks superintendent, Robert Farrell, was arrested in August for allegedly communicating indecently by email with 12 to 14 year old girls.
Late last month, acting police Capt. John Braisington was charged with first degree harassment, a misdemeanor, for allegedly stalking a former girlfriend in Monroe County. He was suspended without pay by after he turned himself in to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. 12-27-05
© 2005 North
Country Gazette
|
