STATE ETHICS COMMISSION FINES CONNECTIONS NEW CENTURY PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL EMPLOYEE $10,000

News Release from State Ethics Commission February 11, 2013

The Hawaii State Ethics Commission has assessed an administrative fine of $10,000 against William Eric Boyd, after finding that he committed 20 separate violations of the State Ethics Code. Boyd, an administrative assistant at Connections New Century Public Charter School in Hilo, was found to have violated the conflicts of interests law by ordering and approving purchases of supplies and equipment for the school, including digital camcorders and a fax/copier, from his and his wife’s Amway distributorship business. The Commission also found that Boyd violated the State Ethics Code by certifying and submitting invoices to Connections on behalf of his and his wife’s company, Boyd Enterprises, for school lunches provided by Boyd Enterprises.

The State Ethics Code prohibits a state employee from conducting government business with himself. The law also is intended to prevent situations where a state employee is able to “profit” from the connections he has with his own state agency by influencing the agency’s decisions. To prevent this, the State Ethics Code prohibits a state employee from representing, for pay, a private business in transactions with his own state agency.

The Commission fined Boyd $500 for each of the 20 violations, which is the

maximum that can be assessed per violation of the State Ethics Code. The Commission

has ordered Boyd to pay $10,000 to the State’s general fund within 60 days.

The Commission’s decision can be found on the Commission’s website at http://hawaii.gov/ethics/opinions/Decisions/decision2013-1.pdf.

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