DMV commissioner claims no link between phone contract and gifts

WRAL reports http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6102981/

Raleigh, N.C. — The commissioner of North Carolina's Division of Motor Vehicles says there's no evidence linking a phone company contract to gifts and meals provided by its workers to state employees.

Commissioner Mike Robertson said Tuesday that Verizon says 62 state workers or their family members received restaurant meals, hockey tickets and other benefits from company employees. Such acts would be in violation of the state ethics policy.

The State Bureau of Investigation has been asked to look at what happened. Robertson says the SBI is also investigating computers used to implement the state's electronic sticker program. The DMV paid for the computers, but currently some are unaccounted for.

“The SBI has been asked to look into this, and to whether or not any DMV employee had knowledge of this inventory or those stored computers," Robertson said. “It is important to note that at the end of the day, Verizon bears the responsibility for the computers not accounted for, (and) not DMV.”

Robertson says no current employees have yet been disciplined and it appears there's no evidence that the gifts had a role in expanding a Verizon state contract.

Verizon spokesman Jack Hoey said five employees will be disciplined regarding the meals and gifts, and that the company is cooperating with the DMV to find the missing computers.