Dive Summary:
- College of Staten Island Assistant Physics Professor Dr. Yasha Yi paid close to $65,000 in fines and restitution after directing the state to purchase research software from 3G Institute of Renewable Energy Inc., which he secretly owned.
- During fall 2011, Yi sent a memo to the City University of New York and the state Dormitory Authority informing him that only 3G could provide a high performance illumination simulation tool that he needed for renewable energy research, leading the state to pay $44,831 in 2012 for 3G's only sale of the product.
- In directing the purchase to his own company, Yi violated a section of the Public Officers Law that bars state employees from taking part in contracting decisions that involve payments over $1,000 to that employee, and he was fined $20,000 and required to issue a full refund for the product.
From the article:
... Yi told the Advance that based on his 10 years of experience in the field, G3 was "the only place I could get this software."
He said that he'd "never been told I needed to disclose my relationship with 3G."
But once it was brought to his attention by JCOPE, Yi said he agreed that he should have disclosed the relationship, and he agreed to make the settlement and have 3G return the money. ...