Boston, MA — The State Ethics Commission issued a Public Education Letter today to Lisa Riccobene, former state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s Chief of Staff and Chief Administrative Officer, after finding reasonable cause to believe she violated the conflict of interest law by borrowing money from a subordinate and using the subordinate’s credit card for personal purchases.

When Riccobene started work as an administrative assistant at the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in 2006, she formed a personal relationship with another employee, who sometimes loaned her money and allowed her to use their credit card information to make personal purchases, according to the letter. After being promoted to Chief of Staff in 2018 and Chief Administrative Officer in 2019, Riccobene directly supervised the employee. During this time, she continued to borrow money from the employee and to use the employee’s credit card. In or about April 2021, after OCME questioned Riccobene about the loans and credit card use, she tendered a $7,000 check to repay a $1,500 loan and her outstanding charges on the employee’s credit card. Riccobene received a warning and was required her to report her conduct to the State Ethics Commission.

Because there was reason to believe the employee loaned Riccobene money and let her use the employee’s credit card at least in part due to Riccobene’s position as the employee’s supervisor, the Commission found reasonable cause to believe...

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