Statement By Attorney General Eliot Spitzer Regarding The State

The State Ethics Commission today found reasonable cause to believe that Comptroller Hevesi knowingly violated Section 74 of the Public Officers Law in connection with using government employees as drivers for his wife. The Commission has reported this determination to the Assembly and Senate. It has been publicly reported that the Albany District Attorney’s Office, which has criminal jurisdiction, has a pending investigation into this issue, as well.

Now that the Ethics Commission has completed its review and found that the Comptroller’s repayment may have been insufficient, I have directed my office to undertake an inquiry to determine what amounts might be owed to the State, and then to recover those amounts including through litigation, if warranted.

Because I have previously endorsedComptroller Hevesi for election, I will recuse myself from this review, which will be overseen by the First Deputy Attorney General. I have every confidence that the attorneys in my office will undertake this review based purely on the evidence and the law.

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