NEW YORK — New York City’s Department of Investigation says Joseph Ponte, the correction commissioner, spent 90 days outside the city last year, even amid violence problems at the Rikers Island jail complex.
Ponte served Maine’s Department of Corrections from 2011 to 2014.
The New York Times says investigators also found that Commissioner Joseph Ponte took his city-owned vehicle to Maine in violation of guidelines. The paper also reported that Ponte and his wife had a house in Wiscasset that sold in March of this year.
The report says many Correction Department employees routinely misused their agency vehicles.
The mayor’s office says Ponte has presided over “sweeping reforms” and it’s not focusing on how often Ponte has visited his family on weekends.
Correction Department spokesman Peter Thorne says any rule violation was a misunderstanding and won’t recur. He adds that Ponte and his senior staff are on call 24/7.
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