City worker fined for violating conflict of interest law at co-op

The New York City Conflict of Interest Board fined a project manager at the Department of Housing Preservation and Development $2,000 for attempting to use his city position to benefit his co-op building, in violation of the city’s conflict of interest laws. A spokesperson for COIB would not disclose the address of the co-op. In 1995, Lawrence Jones had purchased an apartment he was renting, after tenants in his building bought the building from HPD through a tenant interim lease. A prerequisite for the purchase called for the co-op board to sign a mortgage and security agreement requiring the building to remit 40 percent of sales of the apartments to the city for the next 25 years. Jones acknowledged that, while he was president between 2007 and 2009, he contacted several HPD employees in an attempt to exempt the co-op from paying HPD the 40 percent of the profits of the unit sale. He broke the law which prohibits a public servant from using or attempting to use his or her position to obtain any financial gain or other advantage for themselves or anybody associated with them. TRD