ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A lawyer for New York’s Public Integrity Commission says Gov. David Paterson violated ethics laws by soliciting World Series tickets last year from the New York Yankees.
Bridget Holohan, the commission’s associate counsel, said at a hearing Tuesday that testimony from Yankees officials and former staff members for the governor will show he never intended to pay for the five tickets before a press report made the arrangement public.
Paterson, who has denied wrongdoing, did not attend.
The team is a registered lobbying organization. The tickets were worth more than $2,000, and state law prohibits officials from soliciting or receiving gifts with more than a nominal value. Violators can be fined.
