A former high-ranking New York City education official and three business owners were sentenced to prison on Monday after a bribery scheme involving nearly $100,000, which led to contaminated food with pieces of plastic, bones and metal being served to schoolchildren.

Eric Goldstein, the former chief executive officer of the New York City Department of Education’s Office of School Support Services, along with three business owners — Blaine Iler, Michael Turley and Brian Twomey — were sentenced to prison in federal court in Brooklyn for their involvement in a bribery conspiracy.

The case, which involved nearly $100,000 in bribe payments, led to unsafe food products being served in New York City public schools. Goldstein was sentenced to two years in prison, Iler received 12 months and a day with a $10,000 fine, and both Turley and Twomey were sentenced to 15 months, with Twomey also fined $10,000.

“Eric Goldstein corruptly abused his high-ranking position of trust as a public official and pursued lucrative bribes at the expense of schoolchildren, many of whom rely on healthy meals provided by the New York City Department of Education,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. 

“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,” Peace continued. “Today’s jail sentences should serve as a lesson to these defendants and others that public corruption, especially acts that jeopardize the well-being of our children, will be punished.”

Messages seeking comment were sent by the Associated Press to attorneys for Goldstein, Iler, Turley and Twomey.

The four defendants were convicted in June 2023 after a four-week trial in which the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York proved that Goldstein had accepted bribes from SOMMA Food Group, a company owned by Iler, Turley and Twomey, in exchange for securing contracts to supply food to New York City schools. 

Despite numerous complaints from staff and students about the presence of foreign objects such as plastic, bones and metal in SOMMA’s chicken tenders, Goldstein used his position to ensure the company’s products remained in school cafeterias.

In 2015 and 2016, SOMMA entered into a corrupt agreement with Goldstein, transferring $96,670 to a company named Range Meats Supply Co. for his benefit. Payments were made to Goldstein’s divorce attorney and his father, among others. In return, Goldstein expedited the approval process for SOMMA’s food products and resolved disputes between SOMMA and the DOE in the company’s favor.

The largest bribe came in late 2016 when SOMMA’s chicken tenders were pulled from schools after a DOE employee choked on a bone. Goldstein delayed a decision on reintroducing the products until Iler, Turley and Twomey agreed to transfer ownership of RMSCO to him and deposit $66,670 into a bank account Goldstein controlled. Within 24 hours of receiving the bribe, Goldstein approved the reintroduction of SOMMA’s chicken products into schools. 

After repeated complaints, the DOE permanently removed SOMMA products from school cafeterias in April 2017.