A critical component of the work of the Conflicts of Interest Board involves its Enforcement function. The Enforcement Unit of the Board is responsible for and committed to identifying, investigating, prosecuting, and penalizing violations of City of New York's Conflicts of Interest Law, which the Board is empowered to do through Sections 2603(e) through 2603(h) and 2606 of Chapter 68 of the City Charter.

Every finding by the Conflicts of Interest Board that a current or former public servant has violated the Conflicts of Interest Law must be public. In publicizing these dispositions, which identify the conduct that violated the Conflicts of Interest Law and the Charter sections that were violated, the Board seeks to use its Enforcement powers as an educational tool, so that future public servants will learn from the past mistakes of their colleagues. All past Enforcement dispositions can be accessed on the internet via the links below, or if you wish to be included in the Conflicts of Interest Board e-mail publication list for future dispositions, please contact the Board's Director of Enforcement at miller@coib.nyc.gov. The Enforcement Unit is also available to visit your City agency, union office, or other civic entity to conduct trainings, in conjunction with the Board's Training and Education Unit, on the Board's Enforcement powers and procedures.

The Enforcement Unit receives complaints, both written and oral -- and even anonymous ones -- of violations of the Conflicts of Interest Law from City employees, the media, and members of the general public. The Enforcement Unit reviews each complaint individually and refers it to the Department of Investigation ("DOI"), the Board's confidential investigative arm, for investigation and report. Once a complaint has been investigated, if warranted, the Enforcement Unit will pursue confidential administrative enforcement proceedings against the alleged violators of the Conflicts of Interest Law.

A current or former public servant who violates the Conflicts of Interest Law may be subject to serious penalties. The Board may fine a public servant up to $25,000 for each violation of the Conflicts of Interest Law and may recommend to his or her agency that he or she be suspended or fired. In addition, the law contains a ‘disgorgement’ provision, under which the Board may require a person who profited from violating the Conflicts of Interest Law to pay all of the profits to the city.  Such payment would be in addition to payment of any fine levied for the violation.  A violation of the Conflicts of Interest Law could also result in the public servant's City agency, on its own initiative, suspending or firing the public servant under the agency's disciplinary process.  A violation of the Conflicts of Interest Law is also a crime, a misdemeanor that the District Attorney's Office may prosecute. Upon conviction, a public servant may be fined and sent to jail and lose his or her City job. The Board may also void any contract or transaction that violates the Conflicts of Interest Law.

In order to report a conflict of interest violation, you may:

1. Call or write the Conflicts of Interest Board, 2 Lafayette Street, Suite 1010, NY, NY, 10007, (212) 442-1400.  You may also email the Board directly.  
2. Call the Department of Investigation, 24 hours a day, at (212) 825-5959; and/or
3. Call the Inspector General of your agency (you can find your Inspector General's name and telephone number on DOI's website)

All complaints are confidential.