Mark Boster developed a reputation as an intimidating manager when he was deputy chief information officer at the Justice Department. Now, as a businessman, Boster is paying a $30,000 fine for what Justice officials charge was using intimidation to try to continue influencing decisions at the department.
Mark Boster developed a reputation as an intimidating manager when he was
deputy chief information officer at the Justice Department. Now, as a businessman,
Boster is paying a $30,000 fine for what Justice officials charge was using
intimidation to try to continue influencing decisions at the department.
Boster, a former assistant attorney general, is accused of telephoning
his replacement at Justice and warning against a decision to drop a contract
with Science Applications International Corp., Boster's new employer.
The phone call occurred April 7, 1999, about two months after Boster
left Justice and went to work for SAIC, according to a settlement agreement
released by the department.
The call violated a federal law that prohibits former senior government
officials from contacting the government on behalf of their em-ployers within
a year of leaving office.
According to Justice, Boster telephoned his replacement and said he
knew that the department was considering not using SAIC on a new contract.
The settlement agreement said Boster warned that such a decision could require
a payment to SAIC that would force the department to go over budget, possibly
triggering legal action.
Boster denied the Justice allegations. "I have agreed to make a settlement
payment of $30,000 to avoid the expense and delay of protracted litigation,"
he said in a Sept. 1 statement. Boster said he did not contact Justice on
behalf of SAIC but said he had a conversation with a former co-worker in
which he warned that "actions being considered" could violate the law.
Justice said it agreed to settle the matter with a fine "to avoid the expense,
delay and uncertainty of protracted litigation."
As deputy CIO at Justice for five years, Boster was a "flamboyant and
opinionated" manager, said one former colleague, and oversaw $1.1 billion
worth of information technology programs.
In 1998 he pulled the plug on a $500 million office network project
and was criticized by those who wanted the project saved and by those who
thought he waited too long to decide. He also led efforts to improve computer
security.
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