'Roger Rabbit' Gets Prison For School Lunch Bribery, Corruption Scheme

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A New Rochelle man has been sentenced in connection with an extortion and bribery scheme that raised questions about school lunches in New York City schools.

Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, FBI, New York Field Office, announced on Monday the sentencing of New Rochelle resident Eric Goldstein, the former CEO of the NYC Department of Education’s Office of School Support Services, and Blaine Iler, Michael Turley and Brian Twomey, the owners of Somma Food Group, for multiple counts of bribery and bribery conspiracy relating to programs receiving federal funds.

SEE ALSO: 'Roger Rabbit' Guilty In School Lunch Bribery, Extortion Scheme

"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," Peace said. "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."

SEE ALSO: 'Roger Rabbit' Indicted in School Lunch Bribery, Extortion Scheme

According to court documents, in 2015 and 2016, Iler, Turley and Twomey entered into a corrupt agreement with Goldstein, where Somma Food Group would provide capital to a business named Range Meats Supply Co. (RMSCO).

Over a period of 14 months, Iler, Turley and Twomey transferred around $96,670 to RMSCO for Goldstein’s benefit, including payments to Goldstein’s divorce attorney and father. In exchange, Goldstein used his position to make sure 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 Somma’s products were quickly approved and that disputes between Somma and the NYC DOE were resolved in Somma’s favor.

The largest bribe was paid in the fall of 2016, when NYC schools had stopped serving Somma’s chicken tenders because a DOE employee choked on a bone that had not been removed from a chicken tender. Goldstein, who had final approval as to whether and when Somma’s chicken tenders would be allowed back in schools, delayed making a decision until Iler, Turley, and Twomey had agreed to transfer Somma’s ownership interest in RMSCO to him, as well as transfer $66,670 to a bank account in RMSCO’s name that Goldstein controlled.

On November 29, 2016, Iler, Turley and Twomey agreed to pay the bribe Goldstein was asking for. The next day, Goldstein approved the return of Somma’s chicken products in schools. The products were served in schools until April 2017 when, after several complaints from students and staff about foreign objects in the tenders, the decision was made to remove all Somma food products from NYC public schools.

According to court filings, Goldstein often used the codename "Roger Rabbit" as an alias in communications with his co-conspirators in order to hide his identity in the kickback scheme. He was fired by the state's Department of Education chancellor in 2018 after receiving complaints about repeated poor performance, according to a report from the Daily Mail.

"Eric Goldstein abused his position as the DOE Chief Executive Officer of Office of School Support Services to accept nearly $100,000 in bribes from co-defendants to knowingly serve unfit lunch choices for consumption to students and teachers," Curtis said. "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."

Goldstein, 56, was sentenced to two years in prison. Iler, 37, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced to 12 months, 1 day and a $10,000 fine. Turley, 54, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, was sentenced to 15 months. Brian Twomey, 51, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced to 15 months and a $10,000 fine.

The case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section.