SUNY Foundation Audit

10/22/2012 (Updated 11:30:00 PM)

It cost nearly a million-dollars in legal fees to  investigate the Binghamton University Basketball team in 2009 during its scandal.

But, State Comptroller Thomas Dinapoli thinks it was too much.

A report concluded that the SUNY Research Foundation abused taxpayer money for years.
 
The foundation, which is the private, non-profit arm of the state university system, spent over $913,000 for a New York law firm to investigate the basketball program in 2009.

Dinapoli said that contract was given without justification.

He also cites a SUNY research official at Buffalo State who used foundation money for over $130,000 in non-business related expenses.

In response the SUNY system released a statement Monday saying in part it has  "instituted new protocols that raise the standards of accountability of officers and employees alike, and set clear expectations of ethical behavior."