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Ticketgate: Gov. Paterson socked with another scandal

By JOHN MCLOUGHLIN

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Another day, another scandal for embattled Governor David Paterson. On Wednesday, the State Commission on Public Integrity charged the governor with violating the gift ban under the ethics law by securing five free tickets to the first game of the 2009 World Series. And, the commission is asking the Albany County district attorney and the state Attorney General to investigate "whether the governor or anyone else may have committed a crime or crimes by swearing falsely during the commission's interview of him and by causing a check to be back-date."

According to the report, the governor's aide, David Johnson, who is also under investigation for an alleged domestic violence attack, told the Yankees that the governor needed several tickets to attend the game in his "official" capacity. But the commission says there was nothing "official" about it, just a night out at the ballgame.

Read the official document from the Public Integrity Commission, outlining their charges against Paterson: CLICK HERE (NOTE: Document is in .PDF format)

When the New York Post asked who paid for the tickets and the commission got involved, Paterson allegedly told investigators that, even before the game, he intended to pay for the tickets, worth $2,100. But the report says the governor never intended to pay and may have caused someone to backdate a check to make it appear that he did.

If found guilty, Paterson could be fined up to $90,000, but the more serious aspect is the possibility of felony criminal charges for perjury.

The governor issued a statement denying the charges which he described as "unfair."

The office of Albany County District Attorney David Soares released a statement on the commission's charges, saying, "We are in receipt of the referral from the Public Integrity Commission. We are currently reviewing the information and determining the appropriate next step. We will have no further comment at this time."

This is not the first time the commission and the governor have clashed. Last year, Paterson tried to dismiss all eleven members of the commission, claiming some members of the group had acted unethically in an investigation of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer.