Tuesday, August 26, 2008

EX-PRINCIPAL IN $2M BID-RIG SCAM: PROBER

Iknew Danny Porteles when he was at IS 49 in Williamsburg in the 70's. He certainly knew how to play the game then.


EX-PRINCIPAL IN $2M BID-RIG SCAM: PROBER

By MATTHEW NESTEL and YOAV GONEN

Posted: 4:23 am
August 26, 2008

A retired public-school principal and his son used fake bids and forged references to land their teacher-training firm nearly $2 million in work for the Department of Education, according to a new report.

Former Bronx Principal Daniel Portelles, 64, and his son, Edward, both of Staten Island, rigged the competitive-bidding process by submitting elevated bids from a second company they owned along with fake bids from competitors, Special Schools Investigator Richard Condon said.

By being the lowest bidder, their company, Professional Development Associates, earned $170,000 for 20 jobs between October 2004 and May 2006, Condon's report said.

The Portelleses then parlayed that work experience, plus forged reference letters, into a DOE contract worth more than $1.7 million, according to Condon, who said the DOE will sue to recoup losses.

Reached at his home, Daniel Portelles said, "I don't give any stories," before shutting his front door.

His attorney, Richard Gabor, said there are "numerous inaccuracies in the report" and blamed the investigation on a bitter business rival.

yoav.gonen@nypost.com

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

the portelles are scam artists. The son and his wife, were also busted for wire fraud and blackmail. Nasd.org