The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General is set to investigate allegations against former Dauphin County Commissioner Jeff Haste. The investigation was referred by Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo to avoid any conflict of interest due to his familiarity with Haste.
The investigation was triggered by a PennLive report that revealed Haste had accepted $325,000 from Carl Hoffman, the CEO of PrimeCare Medical, the county prison's healthcare provider, while he was in office. PennLive reported that the payments were made in two installments in 2017. At the time, Haste was chairman of the Board of Commissioners and of the Dauphin County Prison Board, which oversees the care provided to incarcerated people.
Haste did not abstain from votes involving PrimeCare or step down as chair of the prison board until May 2017, four months after he accepted the first payment from Hoffman. Haste's lawyer, Jonathan White, stated that all aspects of Haste's involvement with Hoffman were "known, disclosed, and never in conflict with any of his duties as commissioner." However, Haste did not disclose the payments from Hoffman on his statement of financial interest form in 2017, which is required annually under the state’s Ethics Act.
The allegations have raised concerns about conflicts of interest and transparency. Commissioner Justin Douglas said, "When a public official takes $325,000 from special interests while supposedly serving the hardworking people of Dauphin County, it’s a blatant betrayal. Every decision made under this cloud of corruption must be investigated to reveal if the people were exploited."
Haste has since been removed from several county boards. The investigation is ongoing.
