Post Classifieds
State audit reveals improper use of funds
Turkle used corporate credit card to charge iPhones, a computer, groceries and Buffalo Sabres season
By Michael Canfield
On October 24, 2012
An audit by Thomas P. DiNapoli and the New York State Comptroller's Office released Monday revealed
that a SUNY employee working out of Buffalo State used a SUNY corporate credit card to purchase
numerous items for personal use.
The audit shows that Operations Manager and Vice President for Research Administration and Economic
Development Edgar H. Turkle III charged $130,887 in non-business related expenditures to a corporate
credit card between Nov. 2007 and Nov. 2011. The audit found that 348 of the 424 credit card charges
made during the 48-month period were not business related. Turkle worked out of Buffalo State as part
of SUNY's Research Foundation.
Turkle spent the money on iPhones, an Apple computer, a party for his wife and groceries. He also
charged $22,225 for Buffalo Sabres season tickets.
In a statement released by the school, President Aaron Podolefsky said Turkle was removed from his
post when the misuse of funds was discovered. Podolefsky described Turkle's actions as "serious errors
of judgment."
"Upon learning of these inappropriate and unethical actions, the RF employee in question was
terminated and Buffalo State took immediate action to assume direct oversight of RF operations
on campus, including appointing Buffalo State's comptroller to serve as operations manager for the
RF campus office," Podolefsky said in the statement. "In addition, numerous controls have been
implemented to ensure that all policies and procedures will be strictly adhered to in the future."
The report also alleges that Turkle received an additional $50,000 as an extra service payment that
was approved by Buffalo State Provost Dennis Ponton in March 2010. The payment was found to
be unnecessary, as Turkle had not done anything to receive the extra pay. The report refers to the
transactions as "highly questionable and potentially fraudulent."
The audit also questioned $27,968 in charges on SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher's account, including
$13,172 mostly for alcoholic beverages and $9,822 in membership dues to a private club.
According to a SUNY press release, the membership at the club was voluntarily canceled by Zimpher
before the audit was conducted in 2010, and the beverage charges were used for events for SUNY
supporters, and are therefore legitimate.
DiNapoli, in a statement released on the audit, said it was time for the Research Foundation to stop
taking advantage of taxpayers, and needs to pay back the misused funds.
"For too long, SUNY Research Foundation employees took advantage of lax oversight to cheat
taxpayers, skirt state laws and violate the foundation's own policies," DiNapoli said in the statement. "The
Research Foundation needs to vastly improve its internal controls, budgetary oversight, and ensure
compliance with all relevant laws and policies. The foundation needs to recover all misspent funds
immediately and fundamentally change how it operates."
Michael Canfield can be reached by email at canfield.record@live.com.
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