The claim: board members should pay back the public for expenses related to entertainment, health insurance and politically wired contractors.

Earlier this month a federal court subpoenaed a host of current and former board members at Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., as part of a lawsuit seeking to hold the directors liable for the agency’s alleged misuse of millions of public dollars.

The lawsuit aims to compel those 21 board members to pay back to OTB — and thus to the 15 counties and two cities that own the agency — money “improperly used” to purchase health insurance for board members, expensive tickets to sporting events and concerts, and contracts for politically connected firms.

Specifically, the lawsuit claims that OTB’s board members approved:

• Spending “approximately $500,000 per year” for at least the past decade on “deluxe quality health, dental and vision insurance” for board members, even though the state attorney general and the state comptroller deemed the practice impermissible, and the agency’s own legal counsel advised the board the benefit “was unauthorized … and could lead to civil or other liability for the Board of Directors.”
• Spending “in excess of $300,000” each year on suites for Bills and Sabres games, concerts, golf outings and other events. “[M]ost of … the … Special Events Tickets are being used by [OTB CEO Henry] Wojtaszek, his family and friends … and other members of the WROTB Board of Directors,” according to the lawsuit.
• ...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiV2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmludmVzdGlnYXRpdmVw...