A former city Department of Education official was sentenced to two years in prison following his conviction on corruption and bribery charges for trading payments from a food vendor in return for accepting chicken tenders containing plastic, metal and bones that were served to students, the office of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District Breon Peace announced Monday.

Eric Goldstein, 56, managed food operations for the city public school system as the chief executive officer at the Department of Education’s Office of School Support Services from 2008 to 2018. Prosecutors said that Goldstein turned a blind eye to a food vendor, SOMMA Food Group, that was serving unsafe chicken products in exchange for $96,670 in bribes.

In 2015, Blaine Iler, Michael Turley and Brian Twomey formed SOMMA Food Group, which sold yogurt, hamburgers and antibiotic-free chicken products under the name Chickentopia.

Goldstein, of New Rochelle, served as head of the Office of Food and Nutrition Services — known as SchoolFood — as part of his role at the Office of School Support Services. When Iler, Turley and Twomey expressed interest in selling SOMMA’s products to city public schools, Goldstein ensured that SchoolFood partnered with the vendor and expedited the approval process. Goldstein also began a company with the three men, Range Meats Supply Company, but the vendors withheld their relationship with Goldstein from the DOE.

During the fall of 2016, schools began reporting problems with SOMMA’s chicken products. After a school employee choked on a bone, requiring the application of the Heimlich maneuver, SchoolFood stopped serving SOMMA’s chicken tenders.

But Iler, Turley and Twomey sent Goldstein $66,670 in bribe money, their largest payment, on  Nov. 29, 2016, and SOMMA’s products were once again served in schools starting the following day. Their products were finally pulled from schools in April 2017, after schools reported a total of 16 instances of chicken that was discolored, bloody or contained foreign objects.

“Eric Goldstein corruptly abused his high-ranking position of trust as a public official and pursued lucrative bribes at the expense of school children, many of whom rely on healthy meals provided by the New York City Department of Education,” U.S. Attorney Peace said in a statement. “Great responsibility came with overseeing the school system’s food operations, but shamefully, Goldstein prioritized lining his pockets with payoffs from his co-defendants to ensure the DOE purchased their products and that their food stayed in the schools even after plastic, bones and metal were found in the chicken served to schoolchildren and teachers.”

Iler was sentenced to 12 months and one day and a $10,000 fine, Turley was given a 15-month sentence and Twomey received 15 months and a $10,000 fine. All four men were convicted following a four-week jury trial in June 2023.

According to the DOE, Goldstein was terminated in October 2018, following widespread problems with the school bus system, which he also oversaw, according to the DOE.

clewis@thechiefleader.com

Betsy Combier

betsy@advocatz.com

Editor, Inside 3020-a Teacher Trials