The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
DEEP analyst fined for doing personal business at work
MIDDLETOWN — Former state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection employee Sean Condon of Middletown, paid a $5,000 penalty to the Office of State Ethics for violating two secions of the Code of Ethics.
The policy prohibits a state employee from using state resources to obtain financial gain, and engaging in other employment that impairs the worker’s independence of judgment as to his state duties, according to a press release.
“One of the basic tenets of the State Code of Ethics is that public officials and state employees must not use their office or position for personal financial gain,” Executive Director Peter Lewandowski said in a prepared statement. “Operating private businesses through misuse of state resources is a serious violation of the law and will be forcefully prosecuted by the Office of State Ethics.”
Following the issuance of a complaint and a preliminary investigation by the office, the Enforcement Division found probable cause that Condon, an associate research analyst, violated the use-of-office provisions when he used his stateissued computer, stateprovided e-mail account, and state phone in order to run several private businesses, according to the DEEP.
These included a retail men’s hair and skin care product business and an internet marketing business, the release said. The investigation revealed Condon used these state resources to operate his private businesses while on state time, and while he was being compensated by the state for such time, it continued.
Section 1-84 (c) states: “No public official or state employee .. shall use his public office or position ... to obtain financial gain for himself, his spouse, child, child’s spouse, parent, brother or sister or a business with which he is associated.”
In addition, the division found probable cause that Condon violated Section 1-84 (b) by accepting outside employment that impaired his independence of judgment as to his state position, the news release said. Condon’s operation of his private businesses from his work station resulted in violations of DEEP work rules, which in turn resulted in a violation of Section 1-84 (b).