LOTTERY OFFICIAL FIRED IN HOTEL KICKBACK PROBE.Byline: STEVE GEISSINGER MediaNews Sacramento Bureau SACRAMENTO -- A top state lottery A game of chance operated by a state government. Generally a lottery offers a person the chance to win a prize in exchange for something of lesser value. Most lotteries offer a large cash prize, and the chance to win the cash prize is typically available for one dollar. official has been fired in connection with an investigation into alleged kickbacks at the Glendale Hilton, authorities said Tuesday. Broadcasting Director Richard Leeson was fired after receiving thousands of dollars in gratuities for lodging and airfare, lottery officials said. They could not provide a specific amount. "It's very serious to us," said Don Currier, the agency's chief counsel. Currier said the scope of the investigation extends to other parties, including the Glendale Hilton, where the lottery's contract has been canceled. Leeson could not be reached for comment. A representative of the Hilton, which routinely provides incentives to corporate planners, declined to comment. The development is the latest in a series of controversies to plague the state-run operation, which Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): [ˈaɐ̯nɔlt ˈaloɪ̯s ˈʃvaɐ̯ʦənˌʔɛɡɐ] is campaigning to privatize pri·va·tize tr.v. pri·va·tized, pri·va·tiz·ing, pri·va·tiz·es To change (an industry or business, for example) from governmental or public ownership or control to private enterprise: "The strike ... . "Who'd want to buy it?" asked Sen. Dean Florez Dean Florez (born April 5, 1963 in Shafter, California) is a California State Senator. He has represented the 16th District since 2002. He was reelected to a second term on November 7, 2006. Florez was born and raised in the Central Valley. , a Fresno-area Democrat whose government organization committee oversees the lottery. Florez, who held an informational committee hearing Tuesday on the lottery contract with the Glendale Hilton, said afterward Leeson's arrangement was a "sweetheart deal Sweetheart Deal A merger or company sale where one company involved in the deal gives the other very attractive terms and conditions. Notes: In other words, a sweetheart deal is a transaction that a firm simply cannot pass-up. This is usually considered to be unethical. " and a "true kickback The seller's return of part of the purchase price of an item to a buyer or buyer's representative for the purpose of inducing a purchase or improperly influencing future purchases. in every sense of the word." Lottery officials said Leeson was fired this week for signing the contract last year, from which he could gain "in excess" of 97,000 member reward points for lodging 88 Big Spin contestants once a month throughout 2007. State employees are legally barred from receiving personal financial gain in the course of awarding private contracts and conducting other government business. sgeissinger(at)angnewspapers.com (916) 447-9302 |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion