NY IG Tagliafierro Announces Sentencing of Former SUNY Empire State College Facilities Director Who Spent $31k in Taxpayer Funds on Personal Purchases

New York State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro announced the sentencing of the former Director of Facilities at SUNY Empire State College after he was convicted for spending more than $31,000 in taxpayer funds on 171 unauthorized purchases over the course of three-and-a-half years.

Erik K. “Rick” Reimann, 51, of Saratoga Springs, was sentenced in Saratoga Springs City Court before Hon. Francine Vero to three years’ probation. He pled guilty in January to one count of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the Second Degree (a misdemeanor) and has paid full restitution of $31,685. He is no longer employed by SUNY.

An investigation by the New York State Inspector General found that Reimann, the director of facilities at Empire State College since 2010, used a taxpayer-funded SUNY Empire State College credit card to fraudulently charge $31,685 for unauthorized and personal items between January 2016 and August 2019. To conceal the illegal purchases, Reimann forged or altered receipts and statements to make it appear as if they were for legitimate projects at the college.

The 171 unauthorized purchases, ranging from $10.44 for a pool scoop to $2,550 for a high-end air purifier and filter, included guitar amplifier parts, pool accessories, truck and jeep parts, grilling accessories, power tools, watches, ski gloves, camping supplies, all-season tires and multiple electrical parts, tools, kitchen appliances and accessories. Examples of Reimann’s unauthorized purchases are included at the end of this release.

The investigation also found that Reimann was able to continue his scheme undetected for so long due to lax oversight at the facilities department. Specifically, Reimann’s direct supervisor failed to adequately monitor his actions. A new administration that took leadership of SUNY Empire State College in July 2019 quickly discovered the misconduct as part of a thorough operational review and referred the matter to the Inspector General.

“This individual wasted taxpayer dollars on lavish personal items and abused the public’s trust,” said Inspector General Tagliafierro. “We found that he was able to get away with his selfish scheme because of absent supervision and lax controls. Thankfully, he is being held accountable for his misdeeds and strong safeguards have been put in place at Empire State College.”

Inspector General Tagliafierro thanked Empire State College for referring the matter to her office, the Office of Washington County District Attorney Tony Jordan for prosecuting the case, and the New York State Police for conducting the arrest.

Purchases by Vendor:

$77.94 for halo 24” daisy chains from Polar Ray LLC

$91.75 for a LED dimmer at The LED Light, Inc.

$109.99 for ski gloves from Flylow Sports LLC

$125.61 for a telegraph spoon shovel from Peavey Manufacturing Co.

$156.50 at SNAP Power

$199.95 for refrigerator water filters from All Filters LLC

$279 for a Fender 600 amp kit from Mercury Magnetics

$368.85 for Fender circuit boards and transformers from Fromel Electronics

$375.47 at USA Clean

$430.30 for an electronic time switch from Gordon Electric Supply

$511.75 for a controller for pool from Affiliated Parts LLC

$525.91 for a Pentair blower with gasket from Parts4heating.com

$680.74 in LED bulbs and fixtures from 1000bulbs.com

$837.39 for Jeep and truck parts from Rock Auto

$943.09 for lawnmower, snowblower, leafblower and other engine parts from Partstree.com

$1,481.93 at Trak Equipment Rental

$2,063.14 in kitchen appliances and other materials from Lowes

$2,550 for an air purifier and filter from Camfil USA, Inc.

$3,610.70 in tools, electronic supplies, paint and more from FM Office Products

$4,542.62 at Home Depot

$11,722.37 in Amazon purchases for electrical supplies, tools, camping supplies, grilling accessories, guitar amplifier parts, multiple Seiko watches, boat paint and parts, all-season tires and other auto accessories

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