A former head of NYC Public Schools' nutrition program, Eric Goldstein, was this week convicted in a bribery case by a federal jury in Brooklyn.
After a month-long trial, Goldstein was found guilty of conspiracy, extortion, wire fraud and bribery due to his involvement with school food company SOMMA Food Group. The three founders of SOMMA, Blaine Iler, Michael Turley and Brian Twomey, were also found guilty of conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery.
According to court documents, in early 2015, Goldstein, who then oversaw the nutrition program at NYC Public Schools in addition to other support services at the district, began serving SOMMA products, which included yogurt, hamburgers and antibiotic-free chicken products marketed under the brand name Chickentopia. He also partnered with Iler, Turkey and Twomey to co-found Range Meats Supply Company (RMSCO), which purchased grass-fed beef products that SOMMA would then sell to NYC Public Schools and elsewhere.
Throughout 2015 and 2016, the SOMMA founders provided Goldstein with financial benefits, including enticing him with business deals and making monetary payments to RMSCO that benefited Goldstein. In exchange, Goldstein used his influence at NYC Public Schools to help SOMMA’s business dealings. Goldstein did not disclose his ownership interest in RMSCO to NYC Public Schools, per a press release on the verdict.
In 2016, an NYC Public Schools employee choked on a bone in a SOMMA chicken tender and required the Heimlich maneuver. The chicken tenders were removed from the menu, but returned to menus two months later, after the SOMMA founders paid Goldstein $66,670.
Shortly after, school officials received complaints about finding metal, plastic and other items in the tenders. The chicken was permanently removed from the menu in 2017.
In 2018, Goldstein was let go from his position with New York City Public Schools due to reported incidents involving school buses that were either late to pick up students or didn’t show up at all. He was later removed from his position as chairman of the board at the Urban School Food Alliance.
Goldstein and the other defendants each face up to 20 years in prison.
“The defendants’ criminal conduct is a textbook example of choosing greed over the needs of our schools and the well-being of our children. Our children depended on nutritious meals served in schools and instead, got substandard food products containing pieces of plastic, metal, and bones, which is unacceptable,” Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.“Today’s verdict demonstrates the consequences of corruptly placing personal profit over the public interests.”