Photo: Asst. Principals Fined $25k Each for Stealing Theme Park Tickets Meant for Students
Two assistant principals at a New York school have each been find $25,000 of keeping complimentary theme park tickets meant for their students.
Assistant Principals Richard Gilberto and Derric Borrero of Staten Island’s IS 24 reportedly kept $20,000 worth of tickets intended for the school’s students.
Normally, each ticket to Six Flag Great Adventure theme park is $64.19, but 370 tickets were donated to the school and stamped “complimentary”. Though the park made it clear the tickets were for the students, last year, Gilberto gave the tickets to school staff as a reward for their service. Gilberto also gave 75 tickets to Borrero, who gave at least 8 to family members visiting from Puerto Rico.
Looking to make a profit, Borrero gave 25 of the tickets to his brother, who turned around and sold them for $30 each on eBay. An undercover officer posed as a buyer and was told by the brother that he had access to the tickets every year, leading investigators to believe this is a yearly occurrence.
Each year, the school’s 8th graders take a trip the park as an end-of-the-year celebration, but have to pay for the tickets themselves. The complimentary tickets were meant given to the Gilberto, with the park saying they were for the students who purchased tickets for the trip. The park was attempting to give the students a free ticket to be used at a future date.
Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott called the penalties “one of, if not the largest, fines issued against individuals in a conflict-of-interest case.” Adding, “I took this very seriously.”
Post Borrero and Gilberto are said to make six figures a year.
