City Investigation Finds Correction Commissioner Misused His Agency Car for Weekend Getaways

A report by New York City's Department of Investigations has found that the head of the city's Correction Department wrongly used his city-owned car to take regular trips out-of-state.

The investigation found Commissioner Joseph Ponte put about 18,500 miles on the car during what were mostly weekend getaways to visit his family in New England. In addition, Ponte spent about $1,800 of taxpayer dollars on tolls and gas.

According to the report, Correction Department regulations forbid using agency vehicles for out-of-state trips. However, speaking on The Brian Lehrer Show, Mayor Bill de Blasio defended Ponte, saying he got bad advice from his internal staff.

"If he was given the wrong guidance and should not have handled it that way, we'll figure out how to sort that out and make everyone whole," de Blasio said.

However, in a statement released just minutes later, DOI Commissioner Mark Peters hotly denied that characterization.

"City Hall is misinformed," Peters wrote. "Our investigation conclusively demonstrated that Commissioner Ponte and others did not receive official “advice” that they could use their cars for personal trips out of state."

Peters said the investigation is ongoing.