Dive Brief:
- A Yale University employee has been indicted on charges that he arranged to receive kickbacks while working as an audio-visual projects manager on campus.
- Federal authorities say George Dobuzinsky, 57, was paid tens of thousands of dollars from 2005 to 2013 to award vendors additional work.
- Dobuzinsky on Monday pled not guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of honest services wire fraud, and he was released on $300,000 bond.
Dive Insight:
Dobuzinsky is accused of taking about $122,000 in kickbacks and about $1,300 in steakhouse gift certificates. According to the indictment, he would direct vendors to make kickback payments via checks, ranging from $900 to $5,000, payable to an entity owned by his friend, and the friend gave the money to Dobuzinsky. Then, from 2010 to 2013, he directed another person to start a limited liability corporation that vendors would send their kickbacks to, in the form of checks ranging from $300 to $8,500, authorities said.
Dobuzinsky is also accused of receiving gift certificates from vendors, in violation of Yale’s policy — the FBI seized 13 $100 gift certificates to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse while executing a search warrant at his home in November 2013, the New Haven Register reported.
