"Ex-school aide admits to snooping on celebrities; Pays $5,000 fine to settle ethics case" by Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff | June 15, 2010
A former aide to the fired Lawrence school superintendent paid a $5,000 civil fine yesterday to settle a conflict-of-interest case stemming from his use of a database to conduct unauthorized background checks on more than 400 people, including famous actors, Governor Deval Patrick, and
Yeah, it is a big deal when important people have their right violated.
Related: State School Snoopers
How is that gang-tracking coming?
Lawrence police Chief John Romero, one of the individuals whose background was checked by Mark Rivera, 33, said his department started investigating Rivera but stopped after determining that Rivera didn’t commit a criminal act....
Rivera’s Andover lawyer, Murat Erkan, said his client acted at the direction of superiors in performing the unauthorized checks.
“There is some indication that much of this was done at the request of individuals who were higher than him, that he conducted those inquiries because he was given a directive,’’ Erkan said by phone yesterday. Erkan refused to say which supervisor or supervisors allegedly gave Rivera the order....
So he just sig heiled and started spying?
And who could have given him the order?
The case was another blow to the Lawrence School Department and to the city, which has endured several scandals in recent months, including embezzlement and fraud charges against Rivera’s boss at the time, former superintendent Wilfredo Laboy.
See: Letting Class Out in Lawrence
Have you no shame, sir?
Rivera, who made $66,000 as Laboy’s aide, submitted his resignation on April 7, 2009....
Why does that seem like way too much?
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