And you thought only college football coaches got this kind of service: The New York Times is reporting that a lawyer for the U.S. Marshals Service improperly used federal vehicles and on-duty deputies to escort him to World Series games, the Super Bowl and other major sporting events at which he worked as a part-time statistician for Fox Sports, according to a report made public Monday by the inspector-general of the Department of Justice.
Investigators found that the lawyer, Joseph Band, also arranged for deputy marshals to provide vehicle escorts to Fox Sports announcers at two World Series games in 2007 and an NFL playoff game and the Super Bowl in 2008, The Times reports. The report identified the broadcasters as Tim McCarver, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
According to The Times, the report found that Band, whose job at the Marshals Service’s Office of General Counsel included advising employees on “matters of ethics and integrity,” repeatedly committed “ethical violations” by using federal resources for personal business and that he “lacked candor” when questioned by investigators.
Band’s lawyer, Jacob A. Stein, declined to comment Monday. He said that Band retired at the end of 2008 from the Office of General Counsel, where he had worked since 1992.
Dan Bell, vice president for communications at Fox Sports, said Band had worked as a statistician for Fox and other networks, The Times reported.
“At select events, he did offer transportation to some Fox Sports personnel,” Bell said in a statement. “We were unaware, however, that those arrangements were in any way inappropriate, and regret to learn now that they apparently were.”
