The Suffolk County information technology department commissioner admitted to falsifying paperwork for a $5-million computer software contract without legislative approval a day after he resigned.
Donald Rodgers pleaded guilty Tuesday at county court to official misconduct, a misdemeanor. A felony charge of filing a false instrument was dropped.
“Today’s plea is consistent with our findings that the personal mistakes Mr. Rodgers admitted to had no financial impact to the county,” Justin Meyers, a county spokesman, said.
He noted that the 60-year-old Centereach man’s resignation Monday is effective immediately and that he had been placed on administrative leave without pay since charges were filed against him in May.
Prosecutors have said that Rodgers had ordered a staffer to create a fake requisition number to place on an official Letter of Intent to purchase the computer licenses from Microsoft and Dell corporations.
The dropped felony charge was for allegedly failing to disclose outside income in his position as president of his own computer firm, Red Dog Design Inc., on a County Financial Disclosure statement he filed with the county Board of Ethics.
Rodgers, who County Executive Steve Bellone had appointed in April 2012, made $139,943 last year, records show. That doesn’t include the outside income from his company.
Newsday reported that Rodgers will be spared jail time as a part of the plea deal.
